Between Fantasy and Reality
by Marynna
Summary: A nasty accident leaves Amanda stuck in a world she doesn't understand. Now she has to find her way home...before she's caught up in the world of the Twilight Princess!
1. The Beginning of a Fairytale

**Author's Note (7-07-10):** I made a LOT of edits to the entire story, so a lot of the grammatical errors should be removed (but as always, I'm sure there's some I missed). I also changed some scenes up and made each chapter flow better. It's not dramatically different, but if you have the time, go back and read it again and let me know how it is. Then go and read the new chapter. :3

* * *

**Chapter One: The Beginning of a Fairy Tale**

I'd always believed in fairy tales...dreamed about them...even wished I could fly away to some magical world where some handsome prince or hero would find me and we'd go on some amazing adventure. Complete with monsters, sword fights, and the evil villain, of course. And at the end, everything would come to a dramatic climax and the world would be saved. And then the handsome hero (or prince) and I would live happily ever after. Well, until the next madman decided to take over the magical realm we lived in. Then the process would start all over again and the world would be safer than it was before in the end.

But...as much as I wanted my fairy tale to turn out that way, it didn't. In so many more ways than one, it was a complete and total nightmare.

It seemed like a normal day when

_BONK._

I spun around in my chair to see what and who hit me in the head. Yes, what _and_ who. Normally in my house when something is thrown, it's on purpose. My two younger brothers stood behind me, with startled looks on their faces. The youngest, Drake's, hand was still in the throwing position. I looked down to see their football nestled at my feet.

I reached down to pick up the football, tossing it up and down in my hands as I walked towards them. "So...Which one of you wants to get clobbered first?"

The two of them exchanged pleading glances to the other as if begging the other one to give himself up first. I stopped directly in front of them, still tossing the football. Being the klutz that I am, I dropped the football on my next toss and Drake grabbed it like it was a lifeline.

"Ha, ha." My other brother stuck his tongue out at me and he raced out of the room, Drake trailing close behind.

"Hey, watch it! No running in the house!" My mom yelled as they nearly toppled her over running upstairs. She then turned back my way as I flopped back down in the computer chair with a heavy sigh. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for Elizabeth's party?"

"Oh...was that today?..." I glanced at the clock. Hmm...1:23pm...Wait, it's almost 1:30? And I told her I'd be there early, too! I saved the my writing, and jumped out of the chair.

Luckily, I'd already set my clothes out. I pulled on a jean and brown skirt (it had ruffles on the bottom and a slit up the side that made it really cool-looking), a white shirt over a cream tank top, white bangle bracelets, and cream sandals that tied around my ankle. Inspecting myself once in the mirror, I ran a brush though my hair and grabbed my purse, running upstairs.

"Bye, mom!" I yelled as I ran out the front door. Halfway out to my car, I turned back and grabbed the keys that my mom held out. When I unlocked the door and reached for the handle, I paused for a moment and turned back. "Thanks, mom." I said, taking the present she was now holding out.

I could see my mom holding back a laugh. "Bye, sweetheart."

A moving ball of apricot fuzz dashed between my feet as I stepped off the front porch. "Zoe! You're not supposed to be outside!" I cried. The small kitten just turned and blinked her green eyes at me before sprinting across the lawn. Great. Now I was really going to be late. I set my stuff on the porch steps and ran after her.

"You'd better hurry!" My mom yelled after me.

"Yeah, yeah!" Like I didn't already know what time it was.

Zoe slid down a nearby hill to the ravine floor. I slid after, trying to keep my balance in my tall sandals. I normally don't wear shoes like this in the woods, but I had no choice.

I grabbed for her at the bottom, but she just jumped the rocks with ease, moving farther down the stream.

"Zoe! When I get my hands on you, you'll be in so much trouble!" I shouted, picking up my skirt and stepping carefully on the rocks.

She darted onto the opposite bank and into a large hole. Tree roots were woven through the dirt above it, creating some kind of archway.

I peered inside the hole. It was big enough for me to crawl through, but only if I got down on my hands and knees. A small mew came from further inside the dark hole. Great. And this was a new skirt, too. I kneeled down and untied my shoes, retying them together and throwing them across my back. I took a deep breath and let it out. Time to go into the musty old hole in the ground. Yay.

I crawled several feet in, the hole getting darker and darker by the second. "Owww..." I moaned as I bumped my head on the ceiling. Wait...the ceiling? I reached around in front of me to find my way. A second later, my whole self found it's way down. A long way down.

It seemed like forever before I hit the bottom of the shaft. I cried out in pain as I landed on my right hand and it collapsed under me. I cradled my arm gently and looked around. It was lighter, and the hole had turned into a rather large and open cave. I could hear water rushing somewhere, and a small breeze blowing, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. I stood up carefully. Where there was air, there was some kind of escape to the outside. I certainly wasn't going get back up that shaft.

I took a few steps forward, almost losing my balance again. I had to be careful. The floor of the cave was slippery. I tiptoed slowly, inching towards the shot of fresh air. Just a little farther and I'd be out of this and I could have my mom look at my wrist. And I could finally leave for that party.

I took another wobbly step and lost my balance. This time I wasn't able to catch myself and I went sliding. The rest of the cave was a slope and I was headed for the end of it. Fast. This won't end well, will it?

I turned around and grabbed for something. Anything. My fingers laced around a root just as the ground ran out. My left ankle slammed against the side of the cliff, and thorny vines dug into my other leg. I clung onto the root and looked down slowly. There was a pool of water below, that I couldn't see the bottom of. This isn't good. I can't swim well at all. And with my ankle and wrist...

My hand began to slip and I reached up, trying to grab at the root with my other hand. I yelped in pain as I put weight on it. I dropped my right hand helplessly. I had to make a choice now. Slip and fall into the water and possibly hurt myself? I couldn't do that. I had a friend die that way. My only other choice was to let go and push off the cliff, dive in, and risk drowning. As much as I hated water, I had more chance of living this way.

I turned and put my back against the cliff, my hand slipping by the second. I braced myself and took a deep breath. It was now or never. Here goes nothing. I let go and pushed off the cliff, diving into the deep water below.

I could feel the cold water close in around me as I sank deeper and deeper down to the bottom. I tried furiously to swim to the surface, but my wrist and ankle hurt so bad...I looked around, desperate for another way out. But I could see none...

I heard something else plunge into the water above me. I wanted to signal that something that I was down there, but I was so tired...I just wanted to give in. And if my aching lungs were an indication, I wouldn't be able to hold my breath much longer.

I don't know how long it was before a pair of arms grabbed me around the waist and dragged me upwards from the bottom. A moment later we broke through to the surface, and I was pulled over a small waterfall into a pool that was a few inches deep.

I heard a male voice from farther away yelling something I couldn't understand. My rescuer was bent over me, dripping wet. "She's breathing and seems to be awake. It looks like she's been beaten pretty bad, though."

"I would imagine. That was quite a fall. I wonder how she got up there?" The other voice was closer now. Probably right next to me.

"Hey..." My rescuer shook me gently. "Are you all right? Can you hear me?"

His last word seemed to reverberate around me as I finally gave into the darkness that had been threatening to overcome me since my fall. Guess I'm not going to that party anytime soon.

* * *

Ugh...where am I?

I slowly started to come back to reality and it _hurt_. Everything seemed to have it's own pulse and was throbbing. I opened my eyes slowly and sat up, holding a hand to my head. That hurt, too.

I glanced around me, taking in my surroundings. I was a house, but it didn't seem like a modern house. It almost seemed...like a tree house... The walls and floor were wooden and there were cloth curtains over some of the windows. There were a few boxes in corners and a small table by the fireplace and stove. I could see a ladder leading up to some kind of lookout and another leading down to probably a basement. It was a cute little house...er, tree house...but what kind of person _lived_ in a house like this?

"Ah, you're awake." I looked over to see the front door open and a guy about my age step in. Ah, figures. He brushed his sandy blond hair from his eyes and sat down next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good." I replied. "Everything is throbbing and hurting..."

"It's probably better than when you were brought here...your wrist was broken, your ankle was sprained, and you had a deep gash in your right leg." He pulled the covers gently aside to inspect my legs. "They seem to be healing okay now." He set the covers back in place and smiled slightly, his deep blue eyes full of sympathy. "We've been using medicine on them, but we haven't been able to give you anything stronger since you weren't awake."

"We?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. My name is Link and you're in my house just outside of Ordon Village. The swordsman that was with me when I found you is Rusl."

Whoa, whoa, wait a second here. Swordsman? Ordon Village? Link? This couldn't be happening. I pinched myself. "Owww..." I mumbled, rubbing my cheek. Link gave me a questioning look. "I'm fine. Anyway...I have to thank you for saving me. I had thought I was going to die there..."

"It's okay. I'm just glad your injuries weren't worse."

"Yeah. My name is Amanda, by the way."

He smiled, and I glimpsed a little bit of micheviousness. "Nice to meet you, Amanda. Are you hungry at all? I could make you something if you'd like. Might make the medicine go down better."

"Sure." I agreed.

As Link turned to put what looked like soup over the fire, the front door opened and a tall man stepped through it, sheathing a sword as he did. "Good afternoon, Link."

"Hey, Rusl." Link waved the man over.

"Has the girl awoken yet?"

"Yes, I have, and my name is not 'girl', it's Amanda." I piped up from the bed. I'm normally not this rude, I swear (well, to people I don't know, anyway). Must be from all the pain I'm in.

The man just laughed. "Doing better, I see. How's that wrist of yours?"

I moved it a little. "Better." I sighed a little and smiled in apology. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude. You've both been so kind to me."

Rusl just shook his head. "It's quite all right. Oh, here." He set down a bottle with a red liquid in it. It almost looked like cherry cough medicine.

I tried not to make a face. "What is that stuff?"

"Red potion. It should heal you almost completely, though I'm not sure if your body would be able to handle it."

"And why not?"

"Because you're not from here." He replied. I froze. Wow, they sure figured that out quick. Looks like I don't need to make up any stories about where I'm from. Which is a relief, actually. I'm a terrible liar. "Am I correct? People don't just fall from the inside of a cliff."

I reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and lowered my head, nodding. "Yeah..."

"Would you care to tell us where you're from and how you got here?"

Sure. But I'm not going to tell you that I know your village will be attacked and Link will get turned into a wolf and he'll meet Midna, who'll order him to help her, which will ultimately turn into an adventure to save your precious Hyrule.

Anyway. Moving on.

I took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm from a world completely different from yours. It has huge cities...and it's very advanced in it's technology...we have things like electricity that we use for lights instead of candles and fires..." I paused a moment to gather my thoughts. "I was about to leave for a party for my friend...we had both just finished our required 12 years of school, so we were celebrating...my little kitten got out...I had to get to her before she disappeared. I didn't want the coyotes to get to her. She vanished into this hole and I crawled in after her."

I now had both of the men's attention. Link had abandoned the soup and come over to listen. "What happened after that?"

"The hole was too dark to see anything and I fell down a shaft. The ground I landed on was soft, but slippery, and I fell out and down into the water." I raised my head back up to look them in the eyes. "I'm sorry if I've caused some sort of trouble here..."

"No, no trouble." Rusl stood and stretched. "Just a little bit of excitement among the villagers. They've never heard of someone falling off of that cliff before."

"Later we could go into the village and I could introduce you to everyone, if you'd like. But for now, you should probably stay in bed and take the Red Potion." Link handed me some soup. "And right now you should eat something."

I blew on it and tasted it. "It's really good!" I said, taking another bite.

"I'm glad." Link smiled.

"Oh, Link. There was another purpose for me coming over, believe it or not." Rusl took a long, thin, wrapped package from his back and handed it to Link. "I finished it, finally. It's only wooden, but I'm sill putting the finishing touches on the sword for the King. I'll make you a better one when I can."

"It's perfect, Rusl, thank you. I'll take it with me when I leave tomorrow."

"Good. Now I'd better get back to Uli." Rusl paused at the front door and turned to me. "See you tomorrow. You, too, Amanda."

"Kay." I said. I finished the last of my soup and set it on the table next to the bed.

Link strapped the sword to his back. "Will you be okay if I go to the village for a little bit?"

"Of course."

"I'll be back soon." He waved and was gone.

I flopped down against the pillows and heaved a sigh. Guess I'm not going to that party now. Oh well. They never would have believed me, anyway. Now all I have to do is find a way to get home. That should be easy...right?

Oh, who am I kidding? It's not going to be one bit easy. Not at all.


	2. Meetings and Greetings

**Chapter Two: Meetings and Greetings**

I sat on the bed, legs dangling over the side. This was it. Yup. I was finally gonna drink it. I pulled the cork out of the Red Potion bottle and sniffed it, making a face. It smelled of herbs and something else I couldn't place. But whatever it was, it was strong.

It'd been maybe an hour or so since Link had left and I'd been trying to muster up the courage to drink that potion. But I just couldn't do it. I've never liked taking medicine if I could help it. But I still had to do it, otherwise I wasn't going to get anywhere.

I took a deep breath and plugged my nose, downing the potion in a few gulps. I quickly grabbed the glass of water nearby and drained almost all of that, too.

Link came in just as I set the glass down on the table. He had an amused look on his face as he watched me. "So? You feel better?"

"Yeah...But that potion tasted awful. Like dirt and some kind of herbs...and more dirt." I said, wrinkling my nose and taking another sip of water.

"You get used to the taste of it after a while." He said, grinning a little as he helped me up to my feet.

"Okay. If you say so." I grinned a little myself. I couldn't imagine anyone getting used to the taste of _that_. "So what are we doing now?"

"I told the mayor that if you were feeling better, I'd bring you by. He'd like to meet you and discuss a few things."

Discuss? Was I in trouble already? I'd only been here less than a day. And I'd been asleep for most of it! I lowered my gaze to the floor. "Oh...I hope I'm not causing some sort of trouble here...I didn't mean to come here...really..."

Link shook his head. "No, you're no trouble at all, Amanda. We just want to sort things out here and help you get back home, that's all." He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "The mayor is a good man. He and his daughter Ilia intend to help you in any way they can. And so do I."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't worry so much, okay? Everything will work out."

I just smiled and nodded again. I felt bad. If only I could warn these people what was going to happen to their children...to this place where they lived...to this world...but I knew I couldn't. I had to let things take their course and focus on getting home as soon as possible. There just wasn't anything I could do.

Link waved a hand in front of my face. "Amanda...hello...are you in there?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." I blinked. "Just...thinking about something, that's all."

"You want to head to the village now?"

"Sure." I agreed. "Can I kind of freshen up, though, first?" I felt grimy. Probably from the spring water yesterday. You never know what's been in those things.

"Of course. There's a mirror down the hall there and a wash basin and soap over here by the sink." He jumped up and tugged a cloth down from one of the clotheslines, handing it to me. "I'll just meet you outside. Take your time and come out when you're ready."

I took the cloth from him and folded it in my hands. "Thank you. I'll try to hurry."

Link nodded and headed outside, leaving me to clean myself up. I walked down the hall to where the ladder was and glanced at myself in the mirror. My dark hair was curly, frizzy, and completely out of control thanks to the dunking I got the day before. The rest of me didn't look too bad, though. But it wouldn't hurt to wash my face and such, anyway.

I quickly scrubbed my face, neck, and hands with the cloth and soap I'd been given. I felt better. But there was no telling if I could fix my hair. I matted my hair down with a little bit of water and combed it carefully with my fingers. I glanced back up after I finished. It was better...but still kind of frizzy. I decided to just give up while I had the chance and headed out the front door to meet Link.

I climbed carefully down the ladder and jumped the last few steps. Link was standing on near path, arms crossed. Out in this light, I got a better look at him. He was taller than me, but only by about two or three inches. He looked like he was in pretty good shape, too. His sandy blond hair covered parts of his face at times, giving him almost a dangerous look. But his blue eyes held a trace of mischievousness that made him look more boyish than dangerous. Not to mention he was the spitting image of the Hero of Time. I swear he looked exactly like the old drawings from Ocarina of Time. Well, except more realistic...and you know, stuff.

"Hmm?" He glanced at me. "What's the matter?"

I shook my head. Get a grip, Amanda. You won't be here that long. And you have a boyfriend, anyway. "No, nothing." I said. "So...where's the village?"

Link gave me a confused glance. "It's just down this path here." He said, leading the way.

I followed Link from his house and down a path that was barely a quarter of a mile. As the embankment around us began to slope downwards, I saw the gates to the village. It was a charming place, with beautiful sloping hills, and a small river that ran through the middle of it. The fragrance of flowers, smoke and earth filled the air and the chatter of the villagers drifted on the breeze.

"It's nice isn't it?" Link said when he saw me surveying the village.

I grinned up at him. "I haven't stepped foot in the village and I already like it!"

"Ordon will do that to you. Come on. I'll introduce you to some of the villagers. There's been a lot of talk about you going around. Especially among the younger ones, so I'm sure they'll be glad to meet you."

"Do I want to know what about?" I asked, eyebrows raised, as Link steered me down the village path.

"Not really." He replied with a slight grin.

We stopped near a large rock, where Rusl was practicing sword moves. He glanced at us then sliced horizontally twice, twirling his sword with ease and sheathing it. Ah. So _that's_ where Link got that move. Pretty impressive. I'd probably drop the sword on someone's foot if I tried something like that.

"Nice to see you on your feet, young lady." Rusl said with a kind smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you." I replied. "That's some pretty impressive swordsmanship."

"Rusl is the village expert on swordplay." Link added. "He's been teaching me for some time now. Though I broke my wooden sword in the last practice."

"Ah. Is that what he brought to you today?"

Rusl nodded. "Yes. Though Link here probably needs a sturdier sword made out of better materials. Wooden swords won't hold up to much."

Wait...that doesn't make any sense, though, now that I think about it...Wasn't Link supposed to get it tomorrow when he got the slingshot?

"Link!" A bunch of little voices yelled from behind us, interrupting my thoughts. I turned and looked over my shoulder. Sure enough, two boys, and one girl came running up. The tallest one was a girl, who I assumed to be Beth, and the other two must be Malo and Talo. Hey, you never know. I could be wrong. Their names could be Rainbow, Sunshine, and Pixie Dust for all I know.

"We've been looking for you!" The middle one said excitedly. "Guess what comes in the shop tomorrow?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "It's already in the shop, Talo." She said with an exasperated tone. "we just won't be able to see it until tomorrow."

"Yeah, whatever, but guess, Link, guess!"

Rusl chuckled and I had to cover up my widening smile. Does this kid ever slow down?

Link exchanged amused glances with me and Rusl and laughed a little. "C'mon Talo, don't make me guess now. You know I'm no good at guessing games."

"Beth's parents got a slingshot! It just came today!" Talo was nearly jumping up and down with excitement. "It's so cool!"

"That does sound neat..." Link agreed thoughtfully, looking like he was seriously considering taking a peek at it. "Anyway. I'd like to introduce you to someone. This is Amanda. She's the one who-"

"Are you the one that fell from the sky?" Talo asked, completely forgetting about the slingshot.

I wish I'd fallen from the sky. That would've been so much less painful then the jagged rocks of that cliff. "Actually it was from the cliffs above the spring, but yes, I am."

"I'm Talo. This is my brother Malo."

"So you're the one everyone has been talking about." The little boy next to Talo piped up. "I don't see what the big fuss is. You look normal to me."

"She is, kids." Rusl said. "She's just far from home, that's all."

Beth brushed her short hair away from her face and frowned, folding her arms. "Humph. Well I don't think we should trust her. She has to be hiding something. No one just falls from a cliff like that."

Thanks for your confidence, Beth.

I must've looked sad or something, because Link frowned at Beth, his voice sharp. "Well, I'm going to trust her." He said. "She hasn't done anything to prove we can't, so until then, she's welcome in this village."

"Yes, and I don't want to hear another word like that come out of your mouth, Beth." Rusl added. "That is not how we treat guests here. Is that understood?"

Beth lowered her head, looking a little ashamed. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now why don't I walk you all home? It's getting dark and your parents are going to get worried if you're out any longer." Rusl urged the three kids in another direction. "Link, Amanda, I'll see you two tomorrow."

Talo turned and waved as he neared the bridge. I waved back. "They're sweet kids." I said, dropping my hand. "Talo reminds me of one of my brothers back home."

"Yeah. They are good kids. I apologize for Beth, though." He said, steering me towards the last house near the path to the ranch. "She's really a nice kid. I don't know what's gotten into her tonight."

"It's okay. I understand how she feels a little bit." I smiled up at him as he knocked on the door. "Don't worry about it."

The front door swung open to reveal a balding man that looked to be about in his forties or so. He frowned at us at first, then his face lit up with a smile. "Link! Come in, come in!" He said, shaking Link's hand. "And this must be the young lady I've been hearing so much about."

"Yes, I'm Amanda. Nice to meet you." I said, reaching out and shaking his hand as well.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Mayor Bo. And my daughter Ilia is around here somewhere..."

"I'm right here, daddy." A girl around my age came down the staircase next to the door. "Hi." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Ilia. You must be Amanda, right?"

I nodded. "Right. Nice to meet you, Ilia."

"Nice to meet you as well. Now if you'll excuse me..." She smiled and moved past us. "I've got dinner almost ready and I don't want it to burn."

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

Ilia looked grateful. "That would be great. Can you get the table set? The dishes are on that shelf over there."

While Link and the Mayor sat down at the table, I moved to get plates and cups off the shelf. The forks and knives and such were gathered in holders near the plates. I had to make two trips, as I was afraid I was going to break something. I'm really clumsy. But it's not my fault, I swear. I get it from my mother. She's worse than me.

"Y'know, you two could help." I said dryly, setting the forks and knives down next to their plates.

"It's all right, Amanda." Ilia said, setting a bowl filled with what looked like rice and meatballs down on the table next to the salad. "Everything is ready anyway. But she's right. So you two get to clean up, later." She sat down next to me with a devious grin.

I grinned back. I like her. "I think that's a good idea, too."

"So, let's get right into it, then." Mayor Bo said, reaching for the rice and changing the subject. "I've already heard how you got here. That's quite a fall. Those cliffs have to be at least 200 feet or more high."

I gulped down my bite of salad. "Don't remind me. It wasn't the best experience."

"I'm sure it wasn't. Which is why we're trying to find an alternative to send you home instead of going back up those cliffs."

"Daddy and I were talking about sending you with Link to the palace. He's delivering something to the royal family the day after tomorrow." Ilia said. "We figure the princess would know a way, if she'd be willing to help."

"Princess?" I asked, taking a bite of the rice dish. It did taste like meatballs.

Link nodded. "Ordon is part of the country of Hyrule, ruled by a family that's been in control for generations. The princess is rumored to have a power that only two other people in this world have."

"So you think she'd be able to send me home?"

"Yes. I've already sent a letter to the palace, explaining what's happened." Mayor Bo said. "They should be expecting you within a few days."

"Are you sure it's okay that I go with you, though, Link?" I asked, staring down at my plate. "I don't want to get in the way of anything..."

Link shook his head. "I told you, didn't I? You're not in the way of anything or any trouble at all. We're just trying to help you, Amanda."

The Mayor just nodded in response between bites. "In fact, why don't you stay here with us tonight? We have the room and we'd love to have you."

I glanced at all three of them, blinking away tears. They were being so kind to me...even though I could've been some murder or something and they wouldn't know. Which I'm not. I swear. "I accept the offer, thank you. It's very nice of you."

"That's great!" Ilia clapped her hands together in delight. "It'll be fun to have another girl about my age here."

"Well, now that that's settled..." Mayor Bo sat back in his chair. How about dessert?"

"Sounds good to me, too." Link said.

"All right, all right, just a minute." Ilia started to clear the table, shaking her head and smiling wider.

* * *

"Amanda...Amanda..."

"Mmm?" I mumbled, eyes still half shut. "What's happening? What'd I-" I yawned. "-miss?"

"I'm gonna go ahead and go on home." Link said, strapping his sword to his back.

I sat up and stretched. "What time is it? Did I really fall asleep?"

"Yeah, you did." Ilia sat next to me still, bearing a look of sympathy on her face. "It's pretty late now."

After dinner, we sat around the table, eating dessert. Well, Ilia and I sat, anyway. We made the boys clean up and wash the dishes before they had their slice of pie. Then we all sat around talking, until I, obviously, fell asleep.

"I'm going, now, so I'll see you all in the morning." Link pulled the front door open. "Night, Ilia, Amanda."

"Night." We both said in unison.

The front door shut behind him with a click, and all was quiet.

"I've set up a cot upstairs for you in my room." Ilia said. "You ready for bed?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled tiredly. "It's been a long day."

"Come on, then. I'll show you where everything is."

I followed Ilia up the set of stairs by the front door. Funny, I'd never noticed them in the game. But then again, I never really payed much attention to people's houses unless there was something in them I needed.

Ilia immediately went to a wardrobe in the back corner of the room, pulling it open. "Hmm...I know there's another nightgown in here somewhere...Ah, here it is." She pulled out a simple ivory nightgown and handed it to me. "You can change up here. I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to get something and make sure everything is locked up." She grabbed something else from the wardrobe and turned back down the stairs and was gone.

I looked down at the soft nightgown in my hands and sighed. A soft breeze drifted in from the open window and I glanced out of it. The hills surrounding Ordon Village reminded me of home. Home. Where I should be right now. Not stuck in this place, game, or whatever it is.

I pulled away from the window, stepping down from the area where Ilia's bed and dresser was. But for whatever reason I was here for, I wasn't going to mope around. These people had been too kind to me for me to act like that.

I was finished changing by the time Ilia came back upstairs. She was dressed for bed now as well, wearing a shorter pale blue nightgown.

She pulled back the covers on her bed, climbing into it. "Goodnight, Amanda."

"Night, Ilia." I yawned, climbing into bed, as well and pulling the warm covers over my shoulders. Hopefully in the morning I'll wake up in my own bed and this'll all have been just a weird dream. But for now, I just won't think about it. I'm too tired, anyway. I felt my eyelids droop and I drifted off to sleep, hoping I'd wake up to the sounds of my brothers screaming at the television and my sister screaming at them.

...I must be really desperate to get home if I want to wake up to that.


	3. Cats, Cradles, and Monkey Business

**Chapter Three: Cats, Cradles, and Monkey Business**

I blinked once. Twice. Even three times (okay, the third time I had something in my eye...). But every time I found myself gazing up at the ceiling of Ilia's bedroom. So much for this all being a dream. But...why was I here then? Would it change anything important? How could I get home?

I stifled a yawn and gazed down at my hands. I tried to think, but my brain just didn't seem to want to work so early in the morning. I probably should eat something and think about it later. It's too early to be all deep and philosophical, anyhow.

I'd woken up to find myself alone upstairs. The covers on Ilia's bed had been neatly made and on it laid a fresh set of clothes and a piece of paper. I threw my legs over the side of the cot, curious. Pulling open the paper, I saw it was a note from Ilia.

_Amanda,_

_Here's a fresh set of clothes and there's breakfast waiting for you downstairs. My father will be here if you need him, and Link will be around, mostly in the village. He helps out at the ranch up the hill in the mornings, so if you can't find him, he'll most likely be there. I have something I have to work on, so I'll see you later. Have fun exploring. _

_Ilia_

Hmm...Something she had to work on, huh? I wonder what it could be?...I shrugged it off and turned to examine the clothes she'd left. I tugged on the top layer, revealing a blue, short-sleeved tunic with simple embroidery on it. Underneath it was white pants and flat shoes that matched the tunic.

"Pretty." I mused, throwing off my nightgown and tugging the blue material over my head. The pants fit perfectly, but the shoes were a bit tight. I moved to glance in the mirror behind me. My hair was unruly, as usual, so I rummaged around in the pocket of my skirt for a hair tie. Sure enough, I found one, and I pulled my hair into a ponytail. Satisfied with my appearance, I headed downstairs.

The downstairs was empty when I reached it. Strange...Didn't Ilia say her father would be home today?

I peered down the hall and heard noises coming from down there. He must be practicing those moves he uses with the Gorons. You know, the ones he teaches Link later on?

I moved away from the hallway and went over to the counter, where my breakfast lay on a dish waiting for me. It was covered with a towel, so I pulled it off, revealing all kinds of fruits and bread.

I picked up the bread, testing it with a small bite. Yum. It tasted of pumpkin and spices. The pumpkins must've been grown here. I saw some outside in the small fields yesterday on the way here. There were also what looked like grapes and some apple slices. The apples tasted sweet and fresh, and the grapes were sour. I made a face and finished off my breakfast. I hate sour grapes.

I washed off my dish and finally stepped outside, pulling the front door shut behind me. The small, quiet village I'd known last night was now alive with it's inhabitants. Cuccos were out and running around the village and people were out working in their small fields, some humming to themselves as they weeded, watered, and planted.

I turned in the other direction and found myself face-to-face with Link. "Eeek!" I yelped, backing up several feet. My foot caught in a rock and I nearly fell. Luckily I was able catch myself on the fence behind me, and I righted myself.

Link looked like he was holding back a laugh. "Good morning." He said, blue eyes twinkling.

"Good morning to you, too." I wanted to frown, but I was in too much of a good mood. I grinned instead. "So what are you doing here? Ilia told me you work at the ranch up the hill in the mornings."

"Sometimes afternoons, too, but Fado gave me the day off today." He started to walk, and I fell into step with him. "Did you just get up?"

"No, I got up a while ago. I just had something to eat and I thought I'd explore a little bit."

"Mind if I join you?" He asked, offering me his arm like a gentleman.

I smiled up at him, taking his arm. "Of course not. You can be my tour guide."

"Well then, let's start over here with this rock." Link said. "This rock is where Talo broke his arm two months ago, and also where most of the kids do their fishing."

"Ahh..."

"This spot is where Malo sat on a Cucco and it bit him..."

"Ooo..."

Link proceeded to show me several spots of interest that mostly had to do with the kids. We walked a little further down the path, stopping at a small little place with a reddish-pink roof. My sister would love to live here. She's a pink-lover. "And this is where the village shop is. Beth's parent's own it."

"You mean this is where the fabulous slingshot is that those kids have been talking about?"

Link grinned. "The very place. I've been meaning to buy it for them so they'd stop arguing about it." He said, gazing almost longingly through the window at it.

"Well, well...if I didn't know any better, it sounds kinda like the big, tough ranch hand wants to play with it, too."

"I told you yesterday, I'm getting it to entertain the kids."

"Oh, so you _are_ gonna buy it. Are you gonna keep it at your house, too, and play with it when the kids aren't looking?"

"Shut up."

I laughed and followed him inside. It was a cute little shop. The front desk was neat and orderly and all the items were stacked neatly on the shelves. A older woman stood hunched over the desk, pouring a little bit of milk from a bottle into a bowl every few seconds.

She looked up when I shut the door behind me. "Oh, Link. Who's this?"

I stepped up beside Link. "My name is Amanda. Nice to meet you. You must be Beth's mother."

"Yes. I'm Sera. Nice to meet you, dear." She drawled slowly and sighed.

"What's the matter, Sera?" Link asked.

Sera sat up and propped her chin in her hand, still pouring milk into the dish. "My cat got out this morning. She still hasn't come back." She sighed again. "I can't go out and look for her, because I can't leave this shop unattended."

"What does your kitty look like?" I asked, leaning on the counter now, too.

"He's white with brown patches on his back. Why?"

"Link and I will go and look for him."

Link turned to me, eyebrows raised. "We will?"

I glared at him a little. I know I'd just met the woman, but it was better to get this task over with now before the sun got high in the sky and it got hot. "Yes, we will."

Sera brightened. "Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you, dear."

'But what about the slingshot?" Link whined.

I tugged on his arm a little and pulled open the shop door. "It'll still be here when you get back, you know." I said, pulling him outside now and shutting the door behind us.

"Why can't you go and get it? I don't really like cats...and besides, we just got there. I didn't even get to look at it..."

I shook my head. He probably doesn't like cats because of the fact that he turns into a wolf. Or something like that. "You'll be fine." I replied, walking along with him.

"Yo! Link! Up here!"

We both looked up and saw we were standing under a giant rock covered in vines. I'd never seen a plant grow up at rock like that (other than moss, but you can't climb moss).

Link waved and called back. He seemed to know the guy. "Hey, Jaggle!"

"You think you can come up here for a sec? Climb up those vines there."

He nodded at him. "You wanna wait down here or come up?" He asked me.

I grinned. "Are you kidding? These vines are no problem. I used to climb trees harder than this when I was a kid." I took hold of one of the sturdy vines in front of me and started to climb.

It was harder than I thought. By the time I reached the top, Link was waiting for me. I took his outstretched hand and pulled myself the rest of the way up.

"Well, well. You must be the girl that everyone is talking about." Jaggle said, gazing at me with interest.

I dusted my hands off and rested them on my hips. "Is it that obvious?"

"This here is a small village, miss. You'll find that everybody knows everybody and that nothing here is a secret from anyone."

"I see." Hmm...I'll have to remember that in the future. I told you, I'm a bad liar. But if I have to, I will. Who knows what'll happen if they find out I know everything...

"Anyway. I called you up here because I heard you two talking about Sera's cat." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the opposite bank. "Isn't that it over there?"

We both glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, a white and brown cat sat near the water. It got up every few seconds or so, swishing it's tail back and forth, pawing at something in the water.

"Aww...It's so cute!" I said. "But what's it doing?"

Jaggle shrugged. "He's just been sitting there next to my house, having a staring contest with the creek."

Link watched the animal intently. "You don't think he's trying to catch a fish, do you?"

Link and I both jumped when Jaggle suddenly burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha! A cat can't catch no fish!" He wiped a tear from his eye and cleared his throat. "Anyway, that's not what I was meaning to tell you about. I want you to take a look at something..."

"What?"

He pointed at the rock behind us. "See that grass there growing on the edge of that rock? Haven't I seen you whistling with that stuff?"

"Yeah. That's hawk grass."

"Hawk grass?" I asked. "What's that?"

"I'll show you." He walked over and leaped to the other rock. I followed suit, and bent down to gaze at it. It almost looked like tiny fern's leaves, stretched out in the shape of wings. "You can use it to whistle on." He brought it up to his lips and played a short tune. The whistle was clear and pretty. It almost reminded me of something you'd hear on a flute or ocarina.

A few moments passed before I heard a strange sound behind me. Before I could turn and look over my shoulder, a hawk came swooping down and landed on Link's outstretched arm.

"Wow..." I breathed.

"You can pet him if you want."

I reached out and stroked the bird's soft feathers. "He's beautiful." I said. "But what do you do with him?"

"I can use this guy to get things for me if I want. Or knock things down. It's helpful at times when I can't reach things. Like..." He paused and turned to glance around. He frowned when he glanced down the river. "What the?..." Link jumped to the roof and kept going to the other rocks.

"Link?" I followed him quickly, landing on the last rock behind him. "What's the matter?"

"I might be just seeing things, but..."

"What is it, already?"

"I think there's a monkey down there holding a baby's cradle."

I peered down the river to where he was looking. On a moss covered rock like the one we were standing on, there was that pesky monkey, jumping up and down with a cradle in it's hands. I always hated the monkeys in the game. They got on my nerves. I just wanted to shake them till they stopped squeaking...or whatever sound it was they made.

"How did a monkey get into the village?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Link shrugged. "It probably snuck in from the Faron Woods. But we might as well get that cradle back. Someone is probably missing it."

With gesture of his arm, he sent the hawk down the river. It quickly snatched up the cradle, to the monkey's loud squeaking protests, and dropped it in Link's outstretched hands.

"Piece of cake." He grinned smugly at me.

"Just don't drop it jumping back, hotshot." I shot back.

Unfortunately for me, he didn't. I climbed back down the vines first and Link handed me the cradle. Well, more like dropped it on me.

"Hey, watch it!" I said, barely catching it in time before it hit the top of my head.

"Come on. I bet I know whose cradle this is..." He said, taking it from me and walking ahead. He stopped near an attractive young blond woman. Her short hairstyle reminded me of Ila's, but she seemed too young to be her mother. And she was pregnant. Ah, this must be Rusl's wife.

"You must be that young girl that Link rescued yesterday." She said with a smile as I approached. "I'm Rusl's wife, Uli."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Amanda." I smiled back. "When are you due?"

"In another two and a half months or so." She patted her belly. "I'm hoping this one will be a girl. We already have a boy, Colin."

"I don't think I've met him yet."

"Really? I'm not surprised, though. He's pretty shy." She paused. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him all day."

Link grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "He's probably with the other kids. I think they expect me to bring back that slingshot."

"I see." She chuckled. "Oh, Colin finally finished that present for you. It's resting against the house on the front porch."

"Really?" Link strode towards the house, interested. He came back a few moments later with a fishing rod in hand. "This is neat. Colin did a great job with this." He cast it out a few times, testing it out.

Uli turned to me and clasped my hands. "Amanda, anything you need, just let my husband or I know. We'd be more than happy to help."

I hugged her gently. "Thank you, Uli. That means a lot."

"Of course. Now..." She turned back towards the house. "I'd better get some chores around the house done. If you see Colin, tell him to be home in time for lunch, would you?"

"Sure. But do you need any help?"

Uli chuckled. "No, no, I'm fine. You'd better try to pry Link away from that fishing rod. He'll be there all day with it if you let him."

I laughed. "Good idea." I walked over and tugged on Link's sleeve. "Hey, anyone in there?"

"Yeah, sorry." Link reeled his line in. "Guess I got a little carried away."

"Now I'm really worried about you getting that slingshot."

"Be quiet."

I looked at the fishing rod thoughtfully. "Hey, you know what we could use this for?"

Link smiled down at me. "Already way ahead of you. Let's get that cat a fish so Sera will stop moping and we can get that slingshot."

"You mean so _you_ can get that slingshot."

"Whatever." He walked down the path and took a right over a small bridge.

I followed as quickly as I could, having to take two strides for every one of his. Link walks _really_ fast when he has his mind set on something.

"Okay..." He strode out onto a small dock on the river. "This might take a while, so make yourself comfortable."

I sat down in the grass and slipped my shoes off, dipping my feet in the cool water. "Ahh..." I laid back and sighed with happiness. The water felt really good. It's been hot out today. I looked up in the sky to see the sun almost right above us. I had no idea so much time had passed by...It must be almost noon now.

"Dangit..." Link growled, reeling his line in. "Still nothing."

"It's only been a few minutes. Be patient." I said, placing my hands behind my head and lying down in the grass. "But if I were you, I'd put some bait on the hook before you tried again."

"You know, you could help..." He said, glancing sideways at me and attaching some bee larvae on his hook before lowering it back into the river.

I stretched and stood up. "I prefer the easier way. " I said.

Sera's cat sat watching us a few feet away. I got down on my knees and crawled to it, calling him like I did my own cats back home.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty..." I crooned. The small cat blinked it's big gray eyes at me and sauntered over, jumping into my arms and purring loudly. I grinned smugly at Link. "See? We didn't need to catch a fish." I said, scratching the cat under it's chin.

Link held up a small striped fish with a heavy sigh. "Then what should I do with this?"

I was about to answer when Sera's cat leapt out of my arms and caught the fish in it's mouth. It blinked up at us, took off around the house and across the bridge, leaping into the kitty door on the shop's entrance. Link and I could only stare from the opposite bank of the river. Wow. Smart cat.

"I think you just got your answer." I supplied, giggling a little.

He just shook his head. "I guess I did." He grinned a little, too, now. "Come on. Let's go see if Sera is happy enough now to actually sell me that slingshot."

We walked back around the house, me having to take extra steps to keep up with Link's long strides. As I passed a window, I could've sworn I saw Ilia in there, bent over a wooden table. She looked like she was making something... I paused to move a little closer and peer through the window. I jumped when Link called my name.

"You coming?" He asked.

I took one last glance at Ilia and turned back. "Yeah, I'm coming." Darn it. I guess I'm just gonna have to get it out of her later. And believe me, I _will_ find out what she was up to. I have my ways, you know.

I fell back into step with Link and we headed for the shop.

* * *

"Wow, this is so cool." Link placed a seed in the slingshot and fired it at a tree. Several birds flew out in every direction, squawking loudly in protest.

"I thought you were only buying it to amuse the kids..." I said, glancing at him sideways as we walked.

He nodded. "It is. But that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with it, too, does it?"

I laughed a little. "I suppose so. Just don't get carried away and start shooting everything in sight."

"I promise."

"Wow, Link! Is that the slingshot?"

We both looked up and saw Malo, Talo, and Beth come running towards us. Well, for Malo, it was more like a waddle. He _is _only about 5 years old.

"That is so cool!" Talo said. "

Beth seemed especially impressed. "Wow! You had enough money to buy it, Link?"

"Will you show us it's power?" Malo asked.

I shook my head, and Link just beamed brighter. "Sure! Set up the targets!"

I watched, amused, as the three children quickly set up several targets on lower branches and on a scarecrow. Talo his brother up on his shoulders to reach the last place for the final target.

I stepped up and took it from them. "Here. Let me do it."

"Thanks, Amanda!" Talo said.

Malo jumped off his brothers shoulders and waddled back over to Beth, who was glaring at me now. I tried to ignore her. I hadn't done anything wrong (that I know of), so I'm just gonna assume that she's just in a bad mood or something. Talo joined them a moment later.

"Preparations complete..." Malo said.

His brother could hardly contain his excitement. "Okay, wow. This is great! Let's see how powerful that slingshot is! See if you can hit all the targets!"

"No problem." Link agreed, stepping up and aiming.

"I can't believe you two brats are so obsessed about this." Beth snapped, folding her arms. "It just shows what little boys you both still are."

Like you aren't still young yourself, Beth? I sighed and tried to focus my attention on the cool slingshot that the boys were watching intently. The girl wasn't worth getting upset over.

The younger girl brightened when she turned back to Link. "These two will never let it go, Link. Just show them." She ordered.

Link and I exchanged glances and he aimed again. A second later, and he let go, shattering one of the scarecrow's heads.

"That's amazing, Link!" Beth cried, adoringly. "You know, you can shoot it from all angles! It said so in the slingshot manual!"

Malo narrowed his eyes and gazed up at the older girl. "Did you call US obsessed with this thing? You're the one memorizing the manual."

Link just ignored them and fired several more shots, destroying the other scarecrow's head, and several more of the targets the kids had set up for him. I had to admit, I was impressed. This guy has good aim. Malo, Talo, and Beth all squealed in delight.

"You really are amazing, Link!" Talo said, echoing my own thoughts.

He bowed dramatically. "Thank you." Link said with a boyish grin.

"By the way..." Beth interrupted. "Weren't you expecting Colin's dad to bring you by something today?"

I shook my head. "He gave him his wooden sword back yesterday when we were going to Ilia's house."

"Really? A wooden sword?"

"Can I see it for a sec, Link?" Talo took a deep breath and continued his explanation when Link gave him a confused look. "Seriously! Lately these monkeys have been coming out of the woods and playing tricks on us! We want to get them good!" The young boy pouted. "C'mon, teach us how to use it! Please?"

Link sighed and shook his head. "Alright, alright."

"YES!" Talo pumped his fist in the air and grabbed a stick to use of his own.

I sat down on a rock and rubbed my sore feet and watched as Link guided Talo through the basic sword moves. You know, like the horizontal slice, the vertical slice, that kind of thing. I grinned as the kids squealed when Link stabbed the scarecrow and followed up with a spin attack. He was pretty impressive. Rusl must be a good teacher. I wonder if I can get him to teach me a few things?...

"Okay, now I really should go. I'm sure Amanda is getting bored watching all this." Link said.

I held up my hands. "No, no. You're very impressive. I'm enjoying watching."

"Ooh, thank you, Link!" Beth gushed. "I'm sorry you have to waste your time with these little brats when you must be tired from doing all the important stuff you do."

I rolled my eyes. Oh, brother.

"Hey, wait!" Talo said, just as Link was about to sheath his sword. "You've got to show us the jump attack before you go! You know, the one where you go 'HYAAAHH!' and leap through the air!"

Link's blue eyes were pleading with me to get him out of there. I grinned mischievously. "No, I wanna see that move, too, Link. Show us how strong you are." Ha ha. Payback for almost dropping the cradle on my head earlier and being a show-off.

He just glared at me and swung his sword back, jumping high in the air. A split second later, and the scarecrow was torn in half.

"Whoa!" All three of the kids shouted at once.

I stood up and put a hand on his shoulder as her finally sheathed his sword. "That really was amazing, Link. Rusl is a great teacher." But you're still a show-off.

"Yeah." Link said. "I think so, too."

Talo scratched the back of his head. "So, uh...I think I get it...kinda...maybe not..." He clenched his fists. "So this means next time that one of those naughty monkeys shows up..." He turned and glanced over at the woods.

His eyes widened. "Wah!"

Link and I snapped our heads in the direction he was looking, but we saw nothing.

Talo brandished his stick and ran down the path. "C'mere you!" He cried, his voice carrying all around.

"Talo, wait for us!" Beth cried, chasing after him, Malo not far behind.

I glanced at Link. "We probably should follow them, huh?"

"Probably." Link agreed with a sigh. I think he was as tired as I was. You don't know what hit you until it's quiet and they're all gone. "But let's take my horse." He said. He moved over to pat the animal, speaking in hushed tones. Link motioned me over a moment later. "I'll give you a leg up."

I nodded, placing my foot in his cupped hands, and swinging my foot over the horse and settling. "Kay."

Link took hold of the saddle horn, swinging his leg over as well and settling his foot in the stirrups. "Hang on to my waist. You'll fall off if you don't."

I placed my hands gently around him and he nudged Epona with his heels, urging her into a gentle trot. I hung on tighter now. It'd been a long time since I'd been on a horse, and I wasn't about to fall off. The sun was high in the sky now, but the shade of the trees cooled us off some.

Which is good, because it's going to be a_ long_ rest of the day. Faron Woods, here we come.


	4. Into the Woods

**Chapter Four : Into the Woods**

The trees of the Faron woods seemed to close in around us as we reached the end of the path. Or what seemed like it. As I looked further ahead, I could see bits and pieces of it between grass clumps. I clung tightly to Link's waist as we stopped abruptly at the bottom of a small hill.

I looked up at Link. He was frowning. "This isn't good..."

"What isn't good?" I asked, knowing very well already what he meant.

"The three of them know they're not supposed to go past this area without me or Rusl..."

I carefully let go of Link's waist and slid off Epona. "Are you sure they're not here?" I asked. It was a big area, after all. They could be anywhere. I began checking around trees and bushes, pulling branches aside. I got up to where the path began to really show again and I heard Beth.

She was resting on a rock farther on down the path. Her head snapped in my direction. I think she was expecting Link, because when she saw me instead, her features darkened. "What do you want?"

"Beth is over here, Link!" I called, ignoring the her question and the fact that she was glaring daggers at me.

Link pulled up behind me on Epona. "Beth, where are Talo and Malo?"

"Talo and Malo went chasing after that thing like crazy people!" Beth said, standing and going over to Link. She clung to Epona as she looked up to him. "They left me behind! I can't keep up with those two!"

"It's okay, Beth. I'm sure they didn't go much farther." Link said, offering me a hand back up onto Epona.

I shook my head. "If they're not much farther, than I'm walking. I haven't ridden a horse in so long, I'm gonna be sore till next week!"

He chuckled a little. "All right." Link turned back to Beth. "Go on home. I'll let you know when we find Talo and Malo."

"But I want to go, too..." The girl pouted, acting like she was irresistible.

I put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise we'll be back as soon as-"

She yanked my hand away, furious. "I didn't ask you, you stupid outsider!" She said the word 'outsider' like it was a disease. "Mind your own business!"

"That's enough, Beth." Link's voice cut in sharply. "Amanda is coming with me, and you will go home. _Now_."

"But Link, I-"

"I said,_ now_."

We both watched as a now sullen and sulking Beth turned on her heel and went in the other direction. I sighed as I watched her go. Outsider? I wasn't that strange, was I? I don't know what I did wrong, but I must've done something to make her hate me that much.

"Amanda..." Link began, gazing at me with a sadness in those blue eyes of his.

I held up a hand. "No, she's right. I am an outsider. I don't belong here. That's why I'm going home as soon as possible." I smiled a little. "I don't want to cause any more trouble than I already have for all of you."

I walked ahead of Link and I heard him sigh behind me. I like being here. I really do. But it's far past time for me to go home. As soon as we reach the castle and Princess Zelda, I'm gone. That's just the way it has to be.

We were both quiet now as we walked along the forest path. There were birds singing, crickets chirping, but the pleasant atmosphere that the day had started out with was completely gone.

"Amanda!"

I jumped, turning to scowl at Link. "Could you _not_ yell in my ear when you're directly behind me?" I asked.

Link frowned at me. "I'm not." He called, still back where he was a moment ago.

I felt a tug on my shirt and glanced down. Malo stared right back up at me. "Talo's disappeared into the woods." He said. "I'm too tired to keep going, so the rest is up to you and Link." And with that, he turned back and waddled towards the village.

Link walked up beside me on Epona. "What was that all about?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Talo's gone deeper into the woods...he must be still chasing that monkey."

"Across the bridge?"

"Well, if there's more woods over there, then yeah."

We both turned and glanced in that direction. Huge cliffs loomed around on the other side, and I could see no trace of trees anywhere. They must've been further in. I stepped gingerly onto the bridge and looked down. A rushing river raged below, with several sharp rocks jutting out of the water.

Link turned back to me with the same look he had given Beth. Oh, no. This can't be good news, can it? "This is where _you_ turn back." He said.

"Oh no, you are not leaving me here like a little kid." I said.

"It's too dangerous for you to go any further. And on top of that, you're unarmed."

I crossed my arms stubbornly. "Look, ranch hand, the way I see it, you can either leave me here and I'll follow you, or you can take me with you now and I can help you. Either way, I'm going."

He sighed. "Are you always this hard-headed and stubborn?"

I grinned. "Get used to it."

Link pulled Epona up next to a rock and waited expectantly. "Well? Come on. We have to hurry."

I used the rock as a launching pad and vaulted gently onto Epona's back. I hung onto Link's waist for support as the mare took off quickly, hooves clattering on the long wooden bridge. In the game, I thought it looked too old and rickety to go over, but now I see it's as sturdy as any other bridge. I'll have to ask Link later what it's made out of.

The narrow passageway of cliffs was about a half mile long and very eerie. It was like one moment it was bright and sunny, and the next, dark, cloudy, and foreboding. Thankfully that didn't last long and the forest appeared in the distance.

Link began to speed Epona up. "Hang on tight. There's a closed fence ahead that I'm going to jump."

"Jump?" I gulped. I haven't jumped on a horse in years. This isn't going to be a problem is it?

"You'll be okay. Just don't let go of me."

Believe me, I'm won't. I clung tightly to his waist and Epona lifted her legs and sailed over the fence, landing easily on the other side. I let out a shaky sigh of relief as Link slowed Epona down to a trot. My legs would have given in if it weren't for the fact that I was sitting.

Another spring was up ahead, though this one was smaller than the one I'd fallen into. I studied it as closely as I could. This must be Eldin Spring, where the Spirit of Light is. We turned the corner and quickly trotted through a damp and cool cave. On the other side, I breathed a sigh of relief. We'd finally made it to where the lantern cave was. And the lantern.

Link halted Epona and jumped off, offering his hand to me. I took it and slid off, landing on the ground with a soft thud.

"We'll leave Epona here and go on foot the rest of the way." He said, moving to inspect the cave ahead.

When he was one step away from the gates, a large plant-like creature shot up from the ground. It was at least two or three feet taller than Link, and what should have been a flower, was a blue flower bud with ugly red teeth and green slobber. It reared it's head back, ready to attack.

"Link! Look out!" I cried.

He moved just in time, unsheathing his sword and cutting the plant in half. He stuck it once more for good measure, and it shriveled up, leaving a seed in it's place.

"Thank you, Amanda." Link said, sheathing his sword.

"What was that thing?" I asked, creeping up slowly to inspect the remains.

"A Deku Baba. They're pretty common around here, though I wasn't expecting one right there." He ran his fingers through his hair. "That was close."

I stepped closer to the cave, treading carefully in case another Deku Baba decided to pop up. It's been a while since I've played the game, so I can't remember if there are any more outside...I hope not. I hate those things. As soon as I'd noticed it was all clear, I let out the breath I'd been holding and peered inside.

"It's pitch black in there..." I said. "I can't see a thing." I took another small step, my foot landing on something that felt like a board or plank. "Hey! I think I found something!"

Link came over and picked up the thing that'd been under my foot. It was a small wooden stick, that looked like it'd been carved into a play sword. "This is Talo's..." He said.

"Talo's?" Now that he mentioned it, I did see Talo with a play sword earlier...but how did he get past the Deku Baba? It was bigger than Link, so I can only imagine how much bigger than him it was. "But you don't think he'd go any further..."

"No..." Link was frowning fiercely now, a look that didn't suit him at all. "Something is definitely wrong...And I intend to find out what it is.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments he stood, considering. Neither of us seemed to know what to say to the other. It'd been weird since Beth left.

The sudden crunching sound of footsteps from behind us made Link whirl around and draw his sword. He stepped protectively in front of me, ready in case a monster should appear.

A kid, maybe about two years younger than either of us stepped out from the conjoining area. "Whoa! Ordonians!" He said, eyes wide. "I thought I heard people out here." He stepped closer, despite Link still having the sword pointed at him. "Listen, I'm not sure you should be wandering around the woods without and lantern. Just because it's daylight doesn't mean it's safe. There are a ton of caves and dank spots around here that get pretty dark even in the middle of the day."

"You should be the one to talk." I said, annoyed. I don't like this guy's attitude. It's like he _owns _the woods or something. "You're the one wandering alone."

"Ah! My name is Coro. I live out here!" He said with a smile. "I have a small shop!"

"What do you sell, then?"

"Exactly what people going through theses woods need..." The kid turned back and motioned for us to follow. "I'll show you."

Link hesitated. I could see he didn't trust him. I didn't either, but I knew this was the guy who had the lanterns. Without it, we couldn't make it through the cave. "Come on, we might as well." I said, gently touching his arm and starting to follow after Coro.

"Okay...Just stay close to me." Link said, taking the lead.

I nodded. "Okay."

We plodded through the tall grasses to a small hut, that looked like it would fall down any second. Shingles were coming off the roof, parts of the house were patched together with wooden boards and nails, and it looked like it was leaning.

Coro was sitting on a small log in front of his house. "You made it! Here, guy." He handed Link a lantern. "Take this!"

Link looked suspicious. "Just like that?" He said, examining the thing all over.

"Yup. See, I sell lantern oil here...I'm trying to drum up sales by giving away free lanterns!" He grinned. "It's a business tactic, guy! See, as long as you've got oil to fuel your lantern, you can light you way and set fire to stuff."

I watched as a glimmer of excitement made it's way into Link's eyes when Coro mentioned he could light fire to things with it. He seemed to ease up a bit. "Cool." He said.

"Lanterns are the best! Go on, guy! Try setting a fire under that big pot!"

This seems familiar...ah, yes. Link got this excited when he got the slingshot, too. This isn't going to happen every time he gets a new weapon or something, will it?

Link bent down and lit the fire under a large pot. Coro beamed. "That's right! See! It's on fire, guy! Yeah! You keep using that lantern anytime you feel the need. And if it runs out of oil, you come see me to get it refilled!"

I waited for another few moments while Link chatted with Coro and bought a bottle of lantern oil just in case we ran out.

He came back over to me, a lit lantern in hand, and tucking the bottle of oil into a pouch he wore. "That Coro is not such a bad guy." Link said.

"Oh, really..." I glanced at him as we walked back towards the cave. "I seem to recall that you wanted to slice him in two a few minutes ago..."

He just shook his head and moved ahead of me to inspect the cave, holding the lantern up. I could see a torch ahead now, but that's all I could see. Link turned back to me. "I'll go on ahead and clear out the cave." He cut me off when I started to open my mouth to say something. "Then I'll come back and get you."

I sighed. It was probably a good idea, considering I had no weapon and no idea of how to use one. "I suppose..."

Link folded his arms. "Promise me you'll stay here and not go wandering off."

"Yeah, yeah. I promise." I waved a hand. "Now, go. We have to find Talo before it gets dark. I don't know about you, but I do _not _want to be in these woods after dark." I shuddered at thought of it. Monsters creeping and crawling everywhere, bugs...It wasn't pretty.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, Amanda." And with that, he was gone.

I sat down, leaning against the rock of the dark cave. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long. Faron Woods seems peaceful in the game, but really, it's not at all. It's eerily quiet, save for the occasional chirp from a bug or bird. In fact, nothing is really like it is in the game. Thing are bigger, scarier, and way too real for comfort.

I always imagined if something like this happened to me, it'd be easy, I'd be good at everything, and stuff would go really smooth. But now...it's just too real. If I die in here, there wouldn't be any "game over" screen, asking me if I want to try it again. If I die in here, I won't ever get to see my home again. My friends, my family...never. If I die in here, it's game over...for real.

So what was I going to do? Go along with Link and finish the game and see if I get to go home? But that could take weeks...months, even. I already miss the noise of my house, my friends, my family...my little kitten, too. I wonder if she's okay? I never did find her...

"Amanda?"

I looked up to see Link standing over me. "Yeah?"

"The cave is all clear. You still want to come with me?" He frowned a little. "You look tired..."

Did I? I shook my head. "No. I'm coming. I want to find Talo, too."

He offered me a hand and I pulled myself up, following him into the cave. The torches along the gloomy passageway were already lit and remains of spiderwebs hung from the ceiling. I shivered and stayed close to Link. I hope he killed any Skulltulas...I _hate_ spiders.

Luckily for me, the cave wasn't very long and soon we were back out. But it wasn't necessarily into daylight. Coro had been right. The deeper you got into the forest, the darker it got. Now it looked more like a semi-foggy evening than the late afternoon that it was.

I glanced around, trying to locate the gate, but I didn't see anything. "Where are we supposed to go?"

"There's a gate on the western side of the woods, that leads to another area. I hope that we can find Talo there." Link replied, scanning the woods carefully, sword in hand and ready.

We made our way through the darkened area, with me trying to trip over any of the tree roots that were sticking out of the ground. It didn't take long to reach the western gate (I'd say about ten minutes or so), which was good. Because it was locked.

"Damn it..." Link hissed under his breath. "This is normally unlocked. Whoever or whatever has taken Talo must've locked it." He kicked the gate. "Damn it!"

I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. We'll find the key. We'll just start from here and search the forest for it. But if you don't take it easy, we might miss something and it'll take longer."

"I know, but..." He leaned against the gate, staring ahead into the dark tunnel behind it. "He's just a kid. If something happens to him, I'll never forgive myself."

"Link...Talo has a lot of fight in him. I'm sure he's just fine. Maybe a little scared, but just fine."

Link took another moment to compose himself, then turned and faced me with a soft determined smile. "You're right. But I still want to hurry."

"We will, I promise."

I stayed close to Link as we combed the entire forest, starting with the entire west side. I wish I could've told him that I knew where the key was, but I couldn't, and I knew it, so I just kept my mouth shut. When we reached the northern part of the woods, I spotted the cave, easily.

"Hey, let's try that cave over there." I suggested. We weren't finding anything, not even Bublins, which had me worried a little bit. There were at least three or four altogether in this area, weren't there?

Shrugging it off, I followed Link into the damp cave. The lantern light bounced off the walls, revealing the moss and other plant life that grew there. As we reached the end, we could see a chest, sitting above two unlit torches.

"Maybe that's the key." Link said.

"Let's hope so." I agreed. Things have already changed too much for comfort. If the key isn't in that chest, I am going to scream.

As Link handed the lantern to me and jumped up to retrieve the key from the chest, I noticed something slightly illuminated in the dirt between the torches. I crouched down and brushed some of the earth away, revealing what looked like a short spear. Brushing some more dust away, I noticed it was an old halberd.

"Hey...look at this." I said, picking up the rusted weapon. Brushing off some of the dirt, I could see it more clearly. Near the ax was what resembled a butterfly, its' wings inlaid with a red-colored material and a gray-colored material. The long handle-thing was studded with some kind of engraving or jewels, but I couldn't tell. It was too old.

"Looks like it'd fall apart at any second." Link commented, running his fingers along it near the top.

I tossed it up and down a little. "Seems sturdy enough to me." I replied. "And light, too. I think I'll keep it."

Link pocketed the gate key and shrugged. "If you think you can use it, then use it."

"I will."

I could tell he was tired, and so was I, so I didn't say any more. I'll ask Rusl how to use this thing when we get back. He'd probably know more about it than Link would. As we exited the cave, it seemed darker than it'd been before. Well...maybe I'll wait till tomorrow to ask. It'll probably be getting dark by the time we get back.

We were both quiet as we made our way back to the gate in the central western part of the woods. All that was left was to open the gate and go get Talo.

Link slipped the key in the heavy lock and unlocked it, letting it fall to the ground at his feet.

"Not much longer to go, right?" I asked, wearily from behind him.

He turned and studied me, compassion in his eyes. "No, just another half mile or so." He answered quietly. "We'll be able to go back to the village soon."

But that still meant another 45 minutes or so back to where we'd left Epona, and then another 15 minutes back to the village, at least. And this was all _after_ we got Talo from those Bublins that I knew were waiting up ahead at the Forest Temple.

I just nodded. I wasn't going to complain. I was the one who wanted to come along, after all. Link started to walk towards the tunnel, and I followed suit. A moment later, I ran into him, falling back onto the ground.

"Ouch..." I mumbled, rubbing my sore backside. "What'd you stop fo-"

"Shh..." Link said, waving a hand to silence me. He gripped his sword tightly in the other, staring into the dark tunnel ahead.

I quieted, straining to hear whatever he was hearing. But there was nothing. Not even wind. Maybe his pointed ears picked up stuff my round ears didn't? I dunno. Somehow, though I think I'm glad I can't hear whatever it is.

"Stay here." The swordsman ordered, stepping carefully into the tunnel, sword at ready. He disappeared completely and I sat down to wait.

I shouldn't have sat down. The next thing I knew, there was a kind of thudding sound that shook the forest around me. I stood back up, halberd in hand, just as Link came charging out of the cave. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me in the other direction.

"What's going on?" I gasped between breaths as Link pulled me along the forest floor. The thudding was still behind us, getting closer by the second.

He stopped and turned, staring up at something behind me. "That." He said, pointing.

I turned around and immediately saw why he'd run. A giant Ordon goat stood behind us. But it wasn't all cute and friendly like the ones probably on the ranch back in the village. It's fur coat was dark brown or black (I couldn't tell in this light), with with black horns and blood-red eyes. It's teeth looked sharp enough to bite though anything it wanted to. The roar it gave sent chills down my spine, as I clutched tightly to my halberd.

Well, darn it. This never happened in the game.


	5. Finding Talo

**Chapter Five: Finding Talo**

If I'd gotten any time to think about the situation, I would have, but the giant goat-like creature came charging at us with another roar, horns pointed towards us. Yeah. This is the point where I would have used Midna to tell me what that thing is and how to deal with it, but—oh wait...We're not even _at_ that point in the game yet.

Link grabbed my arm quickly, flinging me to one side and he on the other and the creature came charging past. We didn't have much time to consider how to stop it, because it skid to a stop, turning around and charging again.

I tried to think as I got back up and ran behind Link. Where could we go where it wouldn't get us? There were usually a few places during a boss battle in a game where you could go...someplace he's too big to get to...ah-ha. I've got it.

I grabbed Link's hand and pulled him behind me. At the last second, I took a sharp right, and listened as the monster crashed into the gate. That's what I was hoping for. It'll buy us at least 20-30 seconds or so.

"Where are we going?" Link called as we ran.

"The cave where we found the gate key!" I yelled back. "That thing is too big to fit in it. It'll buy us some time to think!"

He looked mildly impressed as we raced into the dark tunnel. It was strangely lit at the end. Oops. I'd forgotten the lantern here. Good thing we came back. I picked it up and tied it by the handle to my waist with a small sturdy rope.

"What was that thing?" I asked as Link leaned against the wall, out of breath.

"No idea..." He said, sheathing his sword for now. "But we have to find some way to defeat it or we'll never get through that tunnel."

I slid down the cave's wall, sitting. "If we don't do something about that thing we might never make it out of here at _all_." I snapped.

Link frowned and turned his attention to anywhere else but me. I saw a little hurt in his eyes and immediately I was sorry I snapped. He was just trying to get us both out of here and all I can do is open my big mouth and say something stupid.

We both sat in awkward silence for the next few minutes or so, considering. I sighed. There had to be some way to beat it. In the game, there always was. But things have been so different already...I didn't know what to expect.

Whatever peace we had was short-lived as the giant goat-thing rammed into the entrance of the cave, roaring wildly. We both tried to keep our balance as dirt, dust and small rocks were dislodged from the ceiling of the cave.

"This isn't good...If that thing keeps this up, we'll be trapped in here. With no way of escaping."

Being trapped in a cave the rest of my life didn't sit well with me. "What are you suggesting, then?" I asked, brushing the rubble from my hair. When he didn't answer, I glanced up at him. He was staring straight at me. "What? Do I have something else in my hair or..."

"Blow the lantern out." He said.

"Wha—huh?"

Link took the slingshot out, loading a seed into it. "Just do it. And get ready to run for it."

I carefully untied the lantern and blew it out, making sure it was completely off before I tied it back onto my waist.

The goat's roars shook the cavern even more and the horns bashing the entrance dislodged larger rocks.

"Link!" I cried, my heart beating faster as the ground began to shake, too.

He was aiming carefully at something on the goat's face. "I just need another second..." When the slingshot was perfectly lined at his target, he released a shot into the goat's eye. It reared it's head back and roared, giving us an exit.

"Now!" He yelled over the noise of the now collapsing cave.

I took off running, me out one side and Link around the other side of the goat and we met in the middle, running for our lives. It wouldn't be long before that thing realized we weren't in there anymore.

We dove behind a giant stump and paused to take a breather. I hadn't run this much since my freshman year PE class. Not that I was out of shape. I just don't generally run that much at one time.

"What do we do?" I asked, brushing some stubborn strands of hair out of my face. "Do the Ordon goats at the ranch have any sensitive spots?"

He glanced at me with a slight frown. "How'd you know there were goats here?" He asked. "I don't remember talking about them..."

Uh-oh. I'm in trouble. "Uh...Ilia told me. I...I asked about the ranch." Smooth, Amanda. Real smooth.

"Really..." Link didn't get a chance to say another word because the goat teleported in front of us, roaring madly. Holy...crap... It can teleport, too?...This can't be good for us...

"If I may say so, it doesn't look too happy to see us..."

He just shook his head and we took off running again, desperate to find somewhere, anywhere at all that would hide us.

"Their bellies." Link said suddenly with a sigh.

"Huh?" I glanced sideways at him as we ran. "What are you talking about?"

"The most sensitive spot to the Ordon goats are their bellies."

Hmm...that seems...impossible. Unless we could flip it over somehow, we wouldn't be able to get to it without being run over. Unless...we could stop it in it's tracks. But the only equipment he has is a bottle and the slingshot...And...the fishing rod...

"Link?" I said.

He glanced at me as we turned in another direction. "What is it?"

"Do you think you could use the fishing rod to climb on top of that thing and keep it distracted enough to stay in one place?"

"I might be able to. Why?" I held up the halberd I'd found earlier. His eyes widened a little. "Oh no, you're not. It's too dangerous."

Ha. I can win this argument easily. "Face it. Unless you have a sword that isn't wooden, there's no way you'll hurt that thing. This halberd is the only thing that might do some damage."

"You could be trampled, Amanda!"

"A risk I'll have to take." I said. I did not want to spend anymore time here. I was desperate and tired. Anything sounded like a good idea right now.

He sighed and whipped out his fishing rod from a back pouch. Whoa, that thing is tiny. I'll have to remember later to ask how that works. "I hope you know what you're doing." Link said, preparing to cast the line.

"I hope so, too..." I muttered under my breath.

He stepped aside and sent the line flying at the horns. It wrapped around it and the goat stopped in it's tracks, trying to shake off whatever had touched it. Link climbed up carefully and held on for dear life as the goat started kicking and bucking at him.

I held up the halberd and started running as fast as I could towards the goat. I shivered at the sound of the weapon ripping through the stomach, and quickly got out of the way as it let out a pained cry. It turned towards me and started charging again, barely making it to where I could hit it's underside again. It's eyes flashed at me now, and it charged towards me, no intention of missing this time.

"Amanda!" Link cried from above. "Hit it's legs and make it fall! I'll climb down after you do!"

Hit it's legs? Would that really work? It was worth a shot if it would get me out of this nightmare forest.

I turned and faced the goat, halberd raised. I met Link's eyes and he nodded as he hung on tight to the horns. Or maybe the nod was just from the goat galloping around. Either way, I was going for it. I took a deep breath, and swung the halberd with all my strength.

Everything after that was a blur. Whether it was from adrenaline or lack of sleep, I don't know. The only thing that jolted me back to reality was Link grabbing my arm. "Run!" He cried.

My feet seemed to move on their own, though that was probably due to the fact that Link was pulling me after him. All I could hear was the sound of the monster goat's giant body rushing towards us, getting closer every second. Closer, and closer still...

Link yanked me into his arms throwing both of us against a cliff, his body covering mine. The goat's horns lodged themselves into the rock above and stopped a foot away from us.

"Are you all right?" He asked, releasing his grip on me.

I started to nod and open my mouth to answer, but a loud rumbling interrupted. We looked up to find two boulders hurtling down at us. Without thinking, I pulled him with me out of the way. Being the total klutz that I am, I sent us both sent crashing to the ground a few feet away as the boulder hit the ground behind us.

"That...was close..." I said, breathing heavily. "Now I have to ask...are _you_ okay?"

He let out a relieved laugh and stood up, dusting his clothes off. "I'm fine. You?"

"No harm done." I said, taking his hands and letting him help me up. I picked up my halberd, which had been tossed several feet away after I'd hit the goat. "Shall we go find Talo?"

I followed behind him quickly as his mindset returned to finding the little boy we'd come here for. Now I have some time to think... Okay, _what _did I just do? Granted, it was...kind of exciting, but really...I've never done anything as dangerous as killing a giant goat and sending it flying at me.

I paused to look back at it. Or where it'd been. It was gone now. ...I dunno if this is a good thing or not...

"Uh, Link?" I tugged (okay, more like grabbed) the back of his shirt, stopping him in his tracks. "Where'd the giant goat-thing go?"

"Hmm?" He turned and peered over his shoulder and shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. As long as it's gone for good."

Oh, but I was worried. Very, very worried.

* * *

It was about another 15 or 20 minutes or so before we stumbled through that tunnel. We'd met some Deku Babas along the way. It seems now that the goat was gone, the monsters felt it was safe to creep back in. Which didn't help my now screaming muscles one bit.

We emerged from the tunnel to find...well, nothing. The open area was quiet. I'd half expected to find another giant monster waiting here for us. But nope. Nothing. Not even a Bublin, which was strange.

"GRRRARRR! FWEEEEEEEEEEEET!"

I cringed at the loud, piercing screech that filled the glade...Not again...what could it be now? Nothing can possibly be any worse than that goat monster...I've had my fill of goats to last me a lifetime, thank you very much.

Link seemed to notice how weary I was and made me sit down on a nearby stump. "Stay here. I'll check it out." He said, sword ready and in hand. This time, I didn't argue.

"Huh?" A squeaky voice piped up from beside us. "Hey, the evildoers are all gone! Wait, are you...a customer?"

We both turned to glance at the voice and saw a small blue bird, with a head of feathers that looked much like Coro's hair. If it's asking if we're customers, then that means there are no more monsters! Yay! That was music to my ears. But did it really need to screech in my ear?

"Oh! Hey! Sorry!" It squawked, spreading it's wings. "So sorry! Please forgive me! Welcome! Hey! Buy something! Anything!"

Link bought another jar of lantern oil for our trip back. It was starting to get dark and who knew what kind of things would be creeping around at night...I shuddered at the thought of giant spiders crawling around in the shadows...It was possible they'd be back by now.

He paid for the oil and came back over to me, offering me help up. "There's no signs of Talo anywhere..."

"Hey! Are you two looking for a kid, hey?" The bird piped up from his shop.

"Yes." I answered quietly. "Have you seen one? A young boy?"

The bird gave a chirp and pointed a wing towards a long and carved out tree root that led up to an even bigger tree. "Some evildoers took a kid up there a long time ago, hey. And a monkey."

"Thank you." I said, jogging to catch up to Link, who'd taken off running at the words, "kid" and "monkey".

He was already breaking the cage by the time I reached the top of the long tree root. Or trying to. The lock on it wouldn't break or budge.

"Talo, bend down and cover your head, okay?" I said.

Talo nodded, eyes wide as I swung the halberd back and sliced off the top of the cage in one swing. Link broke down the bars and helped Talo out.

"Wow, that was so cool!" He said, jumping up and down a little, the situation seemingly not have affected him at all. "Can we do it again tomorrow?"

"No!" Link and I both said at the same time.

He knelt down next to the younger boy and gave him a talking to. It was amusing for the most part, because whatever Link said didn't affect the boy a bit. He thought it was cool that we'd fought a giant black, evil Ordon goat monster. Cool? Try absolutely terrifying. And a pain in the butt. I'll be happy if I never have to see anything that even comes close to resembling a goat again.

Once it was clear that Talo wasn't going to take either of us seriously (I tried after Link did, but it was still no use), we decided to head on back.

"We'll just let Rusl talk with him." Link said quietly, as Talo walked a ways ahead of us.

"That's...probably a good idea." I agreed.

Link had given the boy back his play sword and he was now dancing around, pretending to fight an imaginary Ordon goat monster. Every once in a while he'd let out a "Hyahh!" or, "Take that, evil demon goat!". I just groaned and Link would sigh heavily.

You know what? Add overexcited kids to the list of things I need a break from. Talo is exhausting.

* * *

If Link was tired at all, he didn't show it much. I, on the other hand, couldn't care less if I looked tired or not, because that's what I was. Sore, too. Link guided Epona briskly back to the village as if he'd only been on an relaxing evening jog or something like that. If I'd had the energy, I'd slug him for being so...well, _awake_.

Talo had gone back with Rusl, who'd been waiting for us with Epona. He'd looked at both of us strangely when we came through the tunnel. We must've looked like we'd been through hell and back. Link had explained quietly that he'd talk to him about the events of tonight when he dropped me off with Ilia and the Mayor. Rusl had just nodded and led Talo down the path,

Link pulled Epona to a gentle stop in front of the Mayor's house. Ilia was waiting for us, sitting patiently on the front steps. She hopped up the instant I slid to the ground.

"Are you two okay? What happened?" The worry in her green eyes said she'd been waiting here for a long time, probably pacing back and forth.

Link slid off of Epona behind me, his boots making a soft thud on the ground. "It's just been a long day, Ilia. She needs food and rest more than anything."

"You need all that, too. Again, what happened?"

We'd made a promise to each other not to say a word to Ilia about any of it. I'd only worry her and the rest of the village. And with both of us heading off tomorrow...it just wasn't good timing. Link was only going to let Rusl know. I'm pretty sure Colin already had, though. How else would he have known to meet us?

She sighed when we didn't say anything. "Why don't you two come inside and have something to eat?" Ilia said.

Link shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, Ilia, but I'll pass tonight. I need to talk to Rusl about some things, then I'm going to head on home." He turned his gentle blue eyes on me. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired from all the excitement." I said with a slight smile. "I'll survive. I'm a toughie."

He didn't look like he believed me. Heck,_ I _wasn't sure if I even believed me. "You like you could keel over any second."

"Thanks for your confidence."

"Just get some rest and eat something, okay? We're leaving in the afternoon tomorrow, so sleep in all you want." He nodded to Ilia and I. "Goodnight." With that, he turned and walked across the way to Rusl's house. One knock and he disappeared inside.

I sighed and leaned on my halberd as I watched him go. Funny. Now I sort of think of this thing as mine. Even though it's pretty rusty, it works just as well as something new. And I like the little butterfly on top. It's pretty. Though I wish I could tell what was engraved in it...It looks like some kind of writing...Ahem. Anyway...Getting off subject here.

I followed Ilia into the house, dragging my feet all the way. But I didn't go into the kitchen like I'd been ordered. I turned left and went upstairs instead, one step at a time. Which takes forever when your feet feel like bricks.

I gave a sigh of relief when I finally reached the top. Leaning the halberd against a wall, I slipped off my shoes and climbed into bed, not bothering to change in a nightgown.

After I pulled the covers over me, I was out completely.


	6. Surprises

**Chapter Six: Surprises**

"Amanda...Amanda...Wake up..." Ilia shook my shoulder gently.

"Mmph." Was all I could muster at this time of day. I slowly rolled over and rubbed my eyes. The sun was just peeking through the window, the sky shades of pinks, and light blues. "Mmm...What time is it?"

She bore a look of sympathy on her face. "About 6:45 in the morning. I know it's a little early yet, but it's the only way we'll get a bath in at the spring."

I sat up slowly, yawning and stretching. "Bath? Don't you have one here in the house?"

"Yeah, but the spring is more refreshing. Plus the water has healing properties." She folded a couple of towels over her arm. "I thought it'd help you feel a little better. You looked uncomfortable last night sleeping."

I nodded. I was, a little. I'm not used to stuff like yesterday at all. "Thank you, Ilia...I'd love to go."

She smiled brightly. "Great. I have all the stuff packed on the horses...It's too much to carry all the way to the spring by ourselves."

"What time were you up?" I asked.

"About 5:45..."

"You could have woken me, you know..."

Ilia shook her head, her short blond hair flipping into her eyes. "No. You needed the sleep. And it didn't take me long. The walk up to the ranch and back took the most time."

I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, the covers slipping off my shoulders. "Well, now I'm up. What can I do to help?"

"Well, you could pack some stuff for us to eat. It might be nice to have a quiet breakfast without all the distraction."

I knew she meant the village. People were probably going to be coming in and out and asking questions and wishing luck and all that stuff. It was going to be busy. "Okay." I moved to the other side of the bed area to change and while Ilia slipped downstairs. Once I was dressed, I padded softly down the stairs to the kitchen.

Ilia was rummaging around in a cabinet. "I know there's another bag in here somewhere...Aha." She pulled out a brown bag and handed it to me. "Use this to put the food in. I'll get some plates and such."

There was some of the pumpkin spice bread on the counter from yesterday, and some fruit, so I wrapped it in cloth and set it in the sack. I wrapped a cutting knife, too, and set it in there gently. I filled a bottle with some juice that'd been made yesterday, just as Ilia set some plates and forks in the bag.

"Think we're all set now?" I asked, shutting the bottle.

"I think so." She agreed, closing the sack. "Come meet your horse now. He'll be going with you on the trip."

I followed her outside and saw two gorgeous horses standing there. I couldn't help but fawn over them. I adore horses. The horse I was to ride was named Zale. He was gray dappled, with a black mane and tail and gentle dark eyes. The other horse was Ilia's and her name was Midnight. She was all black, from head to toe, except for a white star on her forehead.

I reached out to pat Zale gently on the nose and he nickered, enjoying the attention. "He's beautiful, Ilia." Zale whinnied and bumped me with his nose, demanding more attention. I laughed, patting him some more. "Okay, okay, geez."

Ilia laughed a little herself. "I knew you two would get along. Now, let's get going." She ordered, climbing up onto Midnight. "That way we'll have plenty of time before people start getting up."

"You can be bossy when you want to, you know that?" I said, setting my foot in the stirrup and climbing up myself.

"So I'm told."

* * *

Zale and Midnight made their way to the spring easily. It was a pleasant ride, though I half-expected Link to come out and demand to know where we were going. He must've still been in bed, because there were no lights coming from the house and the only noise came from Epona. It'd been a long day yesterday.

And he'd been at Rusl's later than I thought he'd be. I woke up in the middle of the night and went downstairs to get some water and saw Link finally leaving to go home. I wonder what they'd been talking about for so long? Unless he put extra detail into what went on in the forest, they must've been talking about something else. But...what?...

My thoughts were interrupted by the squeak of the spring's gate. Ilia pulled one open at a time and I nudged Zale forward, tugging on Midnight's lead so she'd follow. Once inside, we shut the gates and draped long blankets and sheets over them so no one could see in.

Then it was time to unload the stuff. Which there really wasn't much of. The biggest thing she'd brought was a dressing screen, which she set up near a corner, along with everything else.

"Go ahead and take your time." Ilia said, handing me some soap and a towel. "I'll be behind that dressing screen."

I waited until she was out of sight before I slipped into the spring. The water was pretty warm and felt good on my bruised and sore skin. I swam around a little before actually taking a bath. It was a while before I finally stepped out and wrapped the long towel around myself.

"That spring water is heaven..." I said, sitting down behind the screen with Ilia as she laid out some food.

"Glad you enjoyed it. I come here pretty often myself." She handed me a plate full of fruit and breads and a cup with the juice. "Now eat. You must be hungry."

I nodded and took a big bite of the pumpkin bread. I'm gonna have to get the recipe before I leave. This bread is _so_ good. And the fruit was okay, too.

"So..." Ilia started between bites. "What were you doing before you came here?"

"Mmm...my friends and I had just finished twelve years of school, so I was going to a party to celebrate." I sighed. "Too bad I probably missed it."

"Wow, that's a long time. Around here we only study reading and writing, and some other things if we choose to. There's not must reason to study more than that."

I nodded, taking a bite of an apple. "I guess not." I agreed. We sat in silence, until Ilia gasped. Startled, I jumped. "What's the matter?"

"I just remembered! I need to give you something!" Ilia stood up as I took another bite and went over to a nearby bag. She opened it a rummaged through it for a while, finally pulling out a royal purple tunic dress with gold embroidery that'd look like it would almost come down to her knees. "It's from Uli. She can't wear it anymore and you needed something to wear while you travel, so...she donated this."

"Oh, Ilia..." I reached out and touched the soft fabric gently. "It's wonderful. I'll have to thank her when we get back to the village."

She smiled and poked her head in the bag again. "There's a belt in here, somewhere, too...Ah-ha." She handed me a piece of heavy cloth that was an even darker purple and a red sash that went with it. Ah. I see. This is an Ordon-style dress.

"I guess I'll change, then." I said, moving behind a dressing screen. I slipped on a white tie shirt and dark stretch pants that would go under the dress. Hmm...I guess now is a good a time as any to bring something up. "Oh...Did you ever finish that thing you were making for Link?"

I heard a crash and a gasp from the other side of the screen. "Eheh...What...thing?...?"

Ah-ha. Busted. I knew that had been her I'd seen inside that house yesterday. "Don't try to cover it up, Ilia. I saw you working all afternoon in there yesterday." I teased, wrapping the cloth around the dress' middle and tying the sash.

She sighed in defeat as I stepped out. "Okay, okay...Just don't tell him when you see him. I want it to be a surprise."

"I won't." I promised. "Well...Shall we head on back to the village?"

"Yep."

We both picked up the blankets and what was left of our breakfast and packed it all up in the bags. I helped Ilia take down and fold the dressing screen. Once everything was secured on the horses, we mounted and headed back for the village. Epona was gone when we passed Link's house, meaning he was already up at the ranch.

Hmm...too quiet for my liking. New subject! "So what did you mean by 'donated'? Am I some sort of special cause now or something?" I teased.

"Everyone donated something to both you and Link." Ilia said, keeping her eyes on the road. "There's more waiting when we get back. It's the village's way of helping send you guys off. Which reminds me...you need to pack."

"Ilia, it won't take me more an a minute. It's not like I brought much with me."

"With the stuff people have been bringing for you, it'll take more than a minute."

"Good morning, ladies!" We both looked up to see where the voice had come from. Rusl stood on his porch, arms folded, surveying the early village activity.

Ilia had been right about it being busy. Sera had opened her shop earlier than yesterday, and through the window I could see her rummaging through boxes. Jaggle was in his small fields, gathering pumpkins and other fresh vegetables. Talo and Malo were picking fruit from another garden. He waved and I waved back.

"Morning, Rusl." Ilia greeted as she slid off her horse.

I followed suit. "You're up early." I said, patting Zale before he butted me again. The horse closed his eyes, content.

"It's going to be a long day for all of us." He replied. "I thought I might as well get an early start on it. Starting with asking you a favor."

"Eh, sure. What is it?"

"Would you mind if I studied that halberd you brought back yesterday? Link described it and it seemed familiar to me. I wanted to take a look at it. I'll make any repairs to it and anything else that it needs."

I nodded. "Oh, of course. It's back in the house, upstairs. We just have to take the horses back up to the ranch and I'll get it to you."

"I'll take the horses." Another male voice said, making me jump in surprise. Link took Zale and Midnight's leads from us. "Good morning." He said, his eyes twinkling with laughter.

"Morning." I blinked. "Are you always this sneaky?"

"Maybe." He grinned. "Are you feeling better than yesterday?"

"Much better. Still a little tired, though."

"Don't worry about it. Rest some more if you need to. We're not leaving till later."

I nodded. "Kay. I will."

Link turned the horses back up towards the ranch. "I'll get these two settled back into the barn and I'll see you later."

Ilia and I waited until he was well up the road before turning our attentions back to Rusl.

"I'll get that halberd for you." I ran up the steps and inside. Hmm...now where did I leave it? Climbing the stairs, I saw it leaning against the wall near the beds. I grabbed it and headed back down the stairs and outside.

"Thank you, Amanda." Rusl said, taking it from me. "I promise I'll have it back to you by the time you leave."

We said our goodbyes to Rusl now, too and re-entered the house.

"What do you want to do now?" She asked, sitting down in a chair at the table.

"I think I'll take a short nap." I replied with a yawn. "You did wake me up early this morning, you know."

Ilia shrugged. "But you feel better now, don't you?"

"Yeah...I have to admit I feel a lot better."

"But a nap would do you some good as well. Go on. I'll wake you if it gets close to when you need to leave."

"Thanks." I let out another yawn and climbed the winding stairs up to the bedroom. I slipped off the dress so I wouldn't ruin it and draped it on the railing carefully. I slid into bed with just the shirt and pants on, and dozed off easily, the last thing filling my sight being the sunshine in my eyes.

Hopefully it'll be gone when I wake up. There's nothing more annoying then the sun in your eyes the first moment you wake.

* * *

It was dark. Too dark for my liking. Everything about the space around me sent chills up my spine and gave me goosebumps on my arms. It wasn't safe here. Something about this place wasn't right. I had to get away. Now.

I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, but everything looked the same. Dark, ominous trees and a long path that stretched before me, seemingly never ending.

"_You shouldn't have come here..."_

"Huh?" I stopped in my tracks, shivering at a gust of icy wind that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Who's there?"

"_You shouldn't have come here..."_

A large shadow towered above me, eyes a blood-red. Eyes that seemed to sear right through me with hate. It's presence made the place I was in even darker, if that was possible. It raised a hand above me, ready to strike.

"_You shouldn't have interfered...now you must die."_

I tried to scream, but it was no use. The hand came down upon me, and I saw nothing.

* * *

I shot up, gasping and shaking, the chill from my dream somehow still lingering around me as if some sort of warning. Was it a warning? Should I be worried? The sun was gone from my eyes now, but that was the least of my worries.

"Amanda!" Ilia called from downstairs.

I decided to put my fears aside for now. I had to concentrate on getting ready to go. "I'm up, Ilia!" I yelled over the railing. I slipped on my dress and boots and clambered downstairs. Ilia was standing over the table, sorting through some equipment.

"What's all that stuff?" I asked, curious.

"It's the stuff people have been bringing over." She handed to me what looked like a very long...belt-thing. Maybe if I saw it closer, I could tell what it was.

I held it up, examining it. Nope. Can't tell what it is from up close, either. "What is this?"

"It's from Rusl. It's a case for you to hold that halberd in. Though he said it'd do you some good to carry it most of the time. It'd build up muscle. Oh, and here." She gave me a sturdy bag. "It's from Sera. She brought it from her shop."

Ilia continued to hand me things, including a warm and soft blanket from Uli, and a small dagger from Jaggle and his wife. And Talo. He made sure to add that in the note that'd come with it. I grinned and tucked all the things into the bag, except for the halberd case, which I put on. There were also some small sacks of food for us to take with us.

"It's wonderful. All of it." I said, trying not to tear up at the sight of it. "Even though I'm not from here..."

She shook her head. "That doesn't matter." Ilia grasped my hands gently. "We want to what we can to help you anyway."

I hugged her. "Thank you."

"Of course, Amanda." She released me and went towards the stairs. "Come on, I have one more thing for you."

Curious, I followed her back up the twisting staircase to the bedroom. Ilia opened her wardrobe in the corner and poked around in it for a moment. She closed it a second later, holding something behind her back.

"Close your eyes." I did as I was told. She took my hand and placed something cold and hard in it. "Okay, open them."

I opened my eyes to see a beautiful polished stone in my hands. It was almost a blue-grey and the symbol of the Triforce was carved into it. It was attached to a sturdy necklace chain.

"Ilia...I don't know what to say..." I didn't. If I did, it probably wouldn't be enough.

She smiled. "It's just something for you to remember us by when you go home."

I was lost for words and just gave her a hug. "Thank you. For everything."

"I hope if it's possible, someday you'll come back and visit this little village."

"I will." Ilia went back downstairs and I slipped the necklace over my head and followed. "Oh, yeah. What time is it?"

"It's...actually I'm not sure."

"Maybe I should go get Zale, then. Wanna come?"

"Hmm...I'm tempted, but...no thanks." Ilia grinned. "Just bring him down here and I'll give Zale a few pats before he goes."

"Okay." I smiled and shuffled out the door. "I'll see you in a bit!"

She nodded and waved from the window. I could've sworn I'd heard a sigh of relief when I shut the door behind me. My teasing isn't really that bad...is it? She must really like him if she's being this secretive about that present. I'm going to have see if I can get it out of her before Link gets there. That means I'll have to be quick with Zale, then.

I hurried up the path to the Ordon Ranch and saw Link herding the goats into the barn. I waved and kept along the fence until I got to the barn where Zale was being kept. I really didn't want to be run over by those goats, so I kept as far away from their stalls as possible. Those things are scary, I tell you. Almost as tall as me and with huge horns. Though I think I had a bad first impression of them, giving the fact that the first one I ever saw was a giant monster.

When I reached the back, I heard what sounded like neighing from the other side of the wall. I turned the corner from the goat's stalls and there was an open door, leading to another barn. I closed the door behind me and entered the other barn, where the horses and a few other animals were kept. A young guy, probably about my age, was readying Zale for me. I tried not to laugh when Zale butted him, demanding attention.

"I see Zale likes to be the center of attention with everyone." I said, stepping into the horse's stall, and patting him on the nose.

"Yes, he does." He said as he brushed some horse hair off his clothing. "You must be Amanda. I'm Fado. I work here in the farmhouse with Link."

I turned and held a hand out. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here." He said, shaking my hand. "I put some sleeping gear in a saddle bag for you. There's another for your other things."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Anything else you ever need, just let me know. Any friend of Link's in a friend of mine." He smiled charmingly at me.

I smiled back and blushed a little, leading Zale out into the isle. "That's really sweet, Fado. I appreciate it."

"All right, Fado." Link's voice cut in from the doorway to the barn. "You know the policy around here. No flirting with guests."

He grinned good-naturedly. "Now who ever said I was flirting with her?"

"You flirt with _every_ girl who ever visits this village. That's how I can tell."

"Not many girls visit this village!" He protested. "Why are you complaining?"

I patted Zale quietly on the nose and watched the two bicker back and forth. "I think now is a good time to make our escape, huh, boy?" He bobbed his head almost like a nod and I chuckled.

I led Zale down the aisle of the barn and slid open the large doors. I brought the horse out quickly and shut the door behind us, leaving them alone to fight as long as they wanted. Using the fence, I climbed onto Zale's back and rode him out into the open pasture. I needed some quiet time. That nap didn't do me much good.

I nudged Zale with my heels and he responded immediately, going into a smooth canter. The field was huge, probably only a little smaller than a football field. The cool afternoon air felt good on my face as we rode around, forgetting the time.

When I finally eased up on the reins, Link and Fado were watching from the fence. "What?" I said, pulling Zale to a stop next to them. "Was I that amusing?"

"You're so elegant on a horse, you know that?" Fado said.

I shook my head. "You wanna know what you are? Full of it." I grinned a little, in spite of myself. "But you're still a good guy. Maybe you'll meet someone who's as big a flirt as you are."

"You know..." He said thoughtfully. "I do believe that's the first time a woman hasn't believed me." Fado grinned. "I like you."

"Sorry. I already have a boyfriend back home. It wouldn't have worked out between us."

We laughed as Link climbed up onto Epona and stopped next to me and Zale. "Well, Amanda and I should start heading out or we won't make it in time."

"Thanks for preparing Zale for me." I said. "I probably would've messed it up myself."

Fado nodded politely and bowed like a gentleman. "It's no problem. Just be careful on the way to Hyrule Castle, y'hear?" He gave me one last playful grin.

"Yes, sir."

Link nudged Epona into a canter and leaped over the ranch's short fence. I waved to Fado and followed quickly on Zale. The horses thundered down the ranch path, sounding like a herd of goats themselves. We slowed to a walk when we started to reach the village.

"I apologize for Fado." Link said. "He's always been a bit of a jokster and troublemaker. He's gotten himself and I into trouble more times than I can count."

"It's okay." I replied. "I know plenty of people like that at home. I'm used to it."

Ilia was waiting for us on the porch. Her face lit up when she saw Link and I hid a smile. She really does like him a lot. Even though she won't admit it. Her father raised a confused eyebrow at us as Ilia came over. I met his gaze and shook my head. He smiled a little. The mayor understood.

Ilia slowed and walked between us as we neared her house. "Father has the gift all ready for you to deliver." She said, glancing up at Link. "Wait until you see it! It's beautiful!"

The mayor came out to greet us. "Oh, done heardin' for the day, Link?

I rolled my eyes. Most of the diologue stuck along the lines of the game and it was starting to drive me crazy.

Link nodded. "Yeah. Just in time."

"Well, nice work." Mayor Bo said.

Link and I climbed off our horses and Ilia gave pats and treats to both of them. I stayed behind with Ilia as the mayor pulled Link aside to talk to him privately. Probably about the gift for the royal family. I don't understand why they had to be so secretive about it. It's not like someone's going to walk up and steal it. Not that I know of, anyway.

"So did you finish that present for Link?" I asked Ilia in a hushed tone.

She smiled. "Yeah. You want see it?" She reached into her pocket. "It's-" Ilia paused as she glanced at Epona.

"It's...what?" I frowned as Ilia moved closer to inspect one of Epona's front legs. "What's the matter?"

"What's this?" Ilia scowled as she straighted and turned towards Link."What's happened? She's injured, isn't she?"

Link held his hands up. "I swear, Ilia, I was going to bandage her leg when we got back-"

"Save it." She snapped. "Come on Epona. Let's go get you all cleaned up." The men's mouths dropped open as she walked past them and down the path with Epona.

"Ilia! I need her!" Link called after her. "Ilia!" But she just ignored him and kept going.

I laughed. "You're in _trouble_..." I teased.

He scowled. "But I didn't do anything!"

"Not according to Ilia."

Link sighed heavily, defeated. "I guess I have to go apologize for whatever I did. Which I'm still not sure of."

"Don't worry." The mayor clapped a hand on his shoulder. "All women are confusing, lad."

"Are you going to help me or not, Amanda?" Link asked wearily.

"I...think I'll just wait here." I said with a small smile. "You two need to deal with this yourselves. And besides, I still need to get my halberd back from Rusl."

"Okay." He nodded, then straightened and gave me a slight mischievous grin. "Just don't leave without me."

"You're kidding right? You have the map. I'm not going anywhere."

Link shook his head and he headed off in the direction of the village gates. I sighed. I wish we both could just leave right now and get far away from here. Visiting the spring this morning reminded me of what was to happen here today. Thinking of it made my heart sink because I realized that it would be a while before I got to see Princess Zelda. I just want to go home. That's it. Why does it have to be so complicated?

"Amanda." I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Rusl holding my halberd in his other hand, frowning at me a little. "Are you all right?" He asked.

"Y-yeah...I was just lost in thought. You scared me, that's all." I said. "A-anyway...how does the halberd look?"

"It's in excellent condition, considering how old it must be. I tried clearing some of the rust off, but it didn't take." He shrugged and handed it to me. "It doesn't affect it however. I checked the ax blade, and it's perfectly sharp. Strange...it must have been there for hundreds of years, yet it works like it's a day old."

I put it in the case that Rusl had created for me. It was a little heavy, but I'd probably get used to it over time. "Were you able to find out anything about where it came from?"

"I wasn't able to find the exact weapon in any of the books..." He said thoughtfully. He pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket. "However, I did find the butterfly symbol in a book." I glanced over the paper. All the words were written in Hylian, and there was a picture of a butterfly. The same butterfly that was on my halberd.

"What does it say?" I asked.

"It's written in the ancient Hylian language, so I can't read it." He folded the paper back up and handed it to me. "But maybe you'll find someone along the way who can."

"Maybe." I agreed, tucking the paper into my small pouch, as the front door opened and Uli stepped out. Behind her a young boy peeped out. He looked nothing like Rusl, but his blond hair and blue eyes were more like Uli's.

I greeted her with a small hug. "This must be your son I've been hearing so much about." I said, with a smile.

"Yes, this is Colin." Uli ushered him out from behind her.

I shook his hand gently. "Nice to meet you, Colin. You know my brother has the same name as you? You remind me of him a lot." In looks only, though. My brother was loud and obnoxious and the polar opposite of this Colin. Plus, he spelled his name differently. Yeah...I'll shut up now.

Colin murmured a shy thank you and looked around. "Where's Link?"

"Ah, he and Ilia had a little...er...fight." The look on Uli and Rusl's faces showed that this was all too common.

"What'd he do this time?" Rusl asked, trying to keep a grin from spreading across his face.

"Injured Epona somehow. Even I don't know how he could've done it, though."

"Ilia loves the horses, especially Epona. If there's even so much as a scratch on her, he's in a lot of trouble."

"Why don't you go rest before your trip?" Uli suggested, changing the subject quickly. "They probably won't be gone long, but you need all the sleep you can get."

When I heard the word sleep, I couldn't help but yawn. I hadn't really slept all that well the night before, despite how tired I'd been. And the nightmare kept me from any rest I might have gotten out of my earlier nap. "That's probably a good idea." I agreed. If I could even get 15 more minutes in, that'd help."

"Ilia or I will come get you when Link is ready to leave."

"Kay." I said. "Thanks, Uli."

I turned on my heels, climbing the steps and pushing the front door open. I was greeted with the sight of Mayor Bo was standing over the table, examining something.

"Hello, Amanda." He said when he noticed me glancing at the table curiously. "Want to come see the royal gift?"

"Sure." I eagerly walked over in a few long strides.

There, sitting on the table, was a beautiful sword, the gold hilt carefully crafted to look perfect. The blade was polished to shine silver. It looked like a sword made for a king.

"This is a sword that was made by Rusl. It was modeled after one believed to have belonged to the famous Hero of Time. It's said that they made it to replace the powerful Master Sword, which was kept in the Temple of Time."

I sat down at the table. Ocarina of Time had always been my absolute favorite game. I loved hearing anything even remotely related to it. "Why did they replace the sword? Couldn't the Hero of Time just keep it?" I asked.

The Mayor grinned and sat down across from me. He must have noticed my enthusiasm. "No. You see, the Master Sword was a key to the Sacred Realm, which was where the sacred Triforce was. If the Triforce got into the wrong hands...let's just say it wouldn't be very good for this land."

"It's okay. I know about it." I continued when he gave me a look. "The legend exists in my world, too." Well, sort of. It's only really a video game after all. But that's not the point. It's still cool and stuff. And the sword is still really pretty.

He looked like he wanted to ask a million questions, but went for clearing his throat instead. "Anyway, I have to go take this sword to Rusl. He's going to wrap it for the trip so it doesn't get ruined. Are you going to stay here?"

"Until Link and Ilia get back, yeah." I said.

"I'll have to show you the rest of the house, or something, then. Ilia is as stubborn as a mule and she doesn't give in quickly. You might be here for a while."

I couldn't help laughing a little. "Okay. Sounds good."

After he'd gone, I went upstairs to pack my things. Or what few things I had. I'd been given a small bag to put my clothes and things in, and an even smaller pouch, embroidered with vines and flowers. I wondered how _anything_ could fit in there, but Ilia had explained to me that it was enchanted with magic, so even the biggest object could fit in it. Hmm...I'll have to test that out later.

For now, I settled with folding my clothes and putting them in the bag. Ilia also gave me the blue shirt and white pants I'd worn yesterday, and I put those in with the rest.

"Hmm...now she said to grab some medical supplies from her cabinet, too..." I went over to the large wardrobe and pulled the doors open, rummaging around in it. I could hear heavy footsteps on the stairs and I assumed it was the Mayor. "Oh good, you're back. Can you put these bandages in my bag?" I tossed a roll of them over my shoulder at him, not even bothering to turn around. I still needed some other things. So much for a nap.

The Mayor grunted, almost growling at me. I paused and sighed, silently punching myself for being so careless. I must have thrown them too far or at his head.

I turned to face him with a slight smile. "I'm sorry, Mayor. Did I hit yo-"

My smile faded as quickly as it'd come. There, standing before me, was not the Mayor, but a large monster I didn't know the name of. But I quickly recognized it as the thing that takes all the kids. And now it's come for me. How could I have forgotten?

I reached back slowly to grab for my halberd. Suddenly I felt a sharp and painful blow to the back of my head, and the world went black.


	7. Trapped with No Escape

**Chapter Seven: Trapped with no Escape**

I'm alive. At least I think so. I could feel a cold breeze on my face and hear someone talking from a ways away. And I could feel pain. There was a lot of it. My head ached and throbbed like nothing I have ever felt before. My limbs were sore and stinging and my eyelids were heavy. It took all the strength I had to even attempt to open them.

"...We're almost to Kakariko Village."

I paused, ceasing any struggle to move. My mind began to recall the events from before. I was packing...I heard footsteps behind me and then...everything went black. ...I must be with the kids.

"How much longer?" I heard a scratchy voice say. "These brats are getting fussy."

I heard a small whimper from nearby. A timid voice shushed them. "Shh...they might get mad."

"But I'm tired..." I recognized this voice to be Talo's. He sounded worn out and scared, but mostly okay. I breathed an inward sigh of relief. "And I don't want them to hurt Amanda anymore..."

Hurt me? What's that all about? I don't remember anything except the conk on the head...Which hurt enough anyway.

"Quiet, you!" The scratchy voice snapped. "Enough of your whining! Unless you'd like me to make an example of this one again!"

"No!" This voice I'd only heard once, but I knew it was Colin's. That was the loudest I'd heard him speak. "He'll be quiet. I'll make sure of it."

"You'd better. I'm sure he doesn't want this girl to get another beating from his mistakes."

A much deeper one voice cut in. "Patience...Another day or two...and then the real fun begins."

I decided to keep my eyes closed. If I'd been beaten, it'd probably hurt. A lot. I was in a lot of pain as it was. I certainly didn't want more. And I was scared. For the kids and Ilia. For myself. Who knows what these things are and what they could do to us? It'd be best to lay low until I knew we were close to the village. Or in it. Something like that.

The pain escalated at that moment and I did all I could from showing any signs of being awake. I needed painkillers. Badly. The stinging in my arms and legs began to feel like a thousand tiny needles pricking over and over. My stomach hurt tremendously, like I'd been kicked or hit repeatedly there. My head was one big ache.

I struggled to stay awake, but it was no use. Another wash of pain settled over me and I was out again.

* * *

"Amanda...Amanda...wake up..." I felt a small, cool hand on my face, tapping it gently.

I slowly opened my eyes, expecting sunlight. Instead, the night sky and stars greeted me, and a small campfire cast a orange glow over the area.

My eyes slowly came more into focus, and I saw Talo and Colin leaning over me. "Talo? Colin?" I murmured, my own voice scratchy. The pain was still there, but not as intense as before. "Can you help me sit up?" The two boys nodded quietly and helped me lean against a rock.

"Are you okay now? You've been asleep for a long time..." Talo said, his voice a barely audible.

I started to nod, but the pain in my head made me stop. "How long have I been that way?" I asked.

"Almost a day now." Colin replied. "We've been gone from the village for about two days."

"Can you tell me what's been going on? I don't remember anything before I left..."

I know one thing right now: whatever had been going on between them must've been temporarily put aside, because the two boys weren't fighting. They exchanged quick glances. "You mean...you can't remember yesterday at all?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

"We stopped about noon yesterday because these monsters were getting frustrated. Beth wouldn't stop crying." Colin clenched a fist, but continued. "One of them got really mad and tried to hurt her. You got really mad, too, and jumped in the way."

Talo looked like he was about to cry. "They used a whip and then hit you on the head with one of their big club-things. You've been asleep ever since."

"They tried to...hurt...Beth?" I glanced over to see her asleep next to Malo under a tree, her face troubled. As much as I disliked the girl, there was no reason to let them hurt her. Or any of these children. They'd done nothing wrong.

I could feel my anger welling up quickly, and I took a deep breath. Calm down, Amanda. It was done and over with. For now. Now I had to concentrate on getting them somewhere safe once we reached the village. I was the only one that could. Ilia was nowhere to be found. And, to make a guess, Link's probably still in Ordon, at the Forest Temple, most likely. It'd take another three or four days at least for him to get here. Until then, I'm on my own.

"Amanda?" Talo's voice brought me back form my thoughts. I _need_ to stop drifting off like that.

"I'm okay." I said. I'd think this through more in the morning. Hopefully my pain will be at a minimum by then. I decided to try and ask something first, though. "Do...either of you know where Ilia is?" Both the boys shook their heads.

"She wasn't here when we woke up."

"We're worried something might have happened to her." Colin added. "If they took you, they took her, too."

I nodded. "Probably. But it won't do any good worrying about it until we're safe and sound. Come on. Let's just get some sleep, okay? It also won't do any good if you're all tired." I stood up carefully, only faltering a little, and went over underneath the tree by Malo and Beth. She was still supposedly asleep and didn't protest when the three of us settled down next to them.

As the boys settled on either side of me, I glanced around. The bublins were all around the campfire, the biggest one asleep. The rest were talking and cackling like the evil little things they were. I wanted to get up and just start beating them to death, but I decided against it. At least for tonight.

I yawned and settled against the tree. Even though I'd just awoken, I was still tired. One last thought floated through my mind before I drifted off to sleep.

Where was my halberd?

* * *

I awoke the next morning early. Probably from sleeping all day the day before. I stretched and eyed the bublins. All the monsters were still asleep, including the biggest one, who was snoring. I breathed a sigh of relief. All four of the kids were still fast asleep, too.

I stood up carefully, leaning against the tree for support. Hmm...nothing hurts too bad today, so I can only imagine that that's a good sign. Still, I shouldn't forget about it, either.

Ahem. Anyway...that's enough rambling for now. I should try to find where those dumb things put my halberd. If it's back in the village, then I'm out of luck. I don't really know how to use it properly, but it's still my only defense.

I softly tiptoed closer to the bublins' camp. There was a wagon off in the distance, which I assumed carried supplies or treasure or whatever these things dragged around with them. I padded softly in a wide arc around the monsters and made it safely to the wagon. I took one last peek to make sure they were still fast asleep, and I climbed inside.

I had to hold back a gasp when I saw what they'd been keeping hidden away in here. Piles of food and such were in the front, some supplies like wood were in the middle, but the best part was what they'd stored towards the back. My halberd. And the pack of stuff I had left in Ilia's room to take on the trip to the palace.

I carefully picked my way to the back, careful not to step on or knock anything over. The snores from the head bublin leaked through the walls and resonated throughout the small wagon. The big, bad monster sounded almost normal. It took all the strength I had in me not to giggle helplessly. If the situation hadn't been so serious, I probably would have.

Pulling my small pack open, I saw everything was still there, including the roll of bandages that I'd thrown right before I'd been knocked out. I dug deeper into my pack for a red potion. I quickly just plugged my nose and downed the entire thing. Resisting the urge to cough, I made a face instead. They _really _need to make these things better tasting. I stuffed the empty bottle down into the bottom of my pack and dug for anything else useful.

My hand landed on the dagger that I'd been given. I reached back and opened the flap my pouch, stuffing it in there easily. I resisted the urge to take my halberd, too. It'd be too noticeable if it suddenly went missing. The dagger and the potion they wouldn't even know were gone. I hope.

Quickly as I came, I climbed back out of the wagon and jumped with a soft _thud_ to the ground. I tiptoed back to where the kids were and settled myself between Talo and Colin and pretended to sleep.

Considering the snores, I'd say it'll be a while before we go anywhere. Might as well catch up on some more sleep. I never got enough of it when I was in school, anyway.

I don't know how long it was before I felt a rough hand tear me from my dreams and yank me to my feet. "Wake up." The nasty bublin hissed in my ear, making me cringe. "Time for you to walk on your own feet." He let go of me and I leaned against the tree. "Get up, you brats. We're moving on."

Anger flashed through me as he did much of the same with the rest of the children. I stepped between him as he reached for Beth. "That's enough!"

The bublin raised his hand to strike me across the cheek. My head reeled as I crashed to the ground. "Stupid woman! Didn't you learn your lesson last time?" He roared, reaching for his whip.

"Enough!" The lead bublin grabbed his arm before he could do anything. "We don't have time to do this now. Everything is ready for us. We must go."

I breathed a sigh of relief as he glared at me one last time and turned away. I touched my now sore cheek and turned to wake Beth. She groggily rubbed her eyes, saying nothing as she sat up. I woke Malo, too, who luckily the bublin hadn't gotten to yet.

"What's going on?" Talo mumbled from behind me as he rubbed an eye sleepily.

"I guess we're moving on." I answered quietly. "Colin, are you awake?"

"Yes..." He replied with a small yawn, from behind Talo.

I stood and stretched, feeling a whole lot better, thanks to the red potion I'd downed some time ago. How long, you ask? I'm not sure. It must've been still morning, though because the sun wasn't high enough in the sky yet for it to be afternoon.

A pack of bublins came up behind us and ushered us towards the rest of the group, who was quickly packing up and almost ready to head out. The horses that were pulling the wagon were finicky around the monsters. One of the horses, a gray dappled one, reared and knocked the wagon back a few feet. The other horse jittered around nervously.

At closer inspection, I gasped. It was Zale and Midnight! The bublins obviously had taken everything that was valuable or useful to them. Poor Fado must be going crazy wondering where the horses are.

"What's the matter, you?" A bublin growled from behind me.

"N-nothing..." I said quickly.

They soon got the horses under control and we moved on towards the village in silence. The monsters in the fields didn't even bother us as we walked. Maybe because the bublins were monsters, too? I don't know. At any rate, it made the walk go much faster.

We crossed a small bridge near the path to Kakariko Gorge before we stopped to rest. The kids weren't complaining yet, though I could tell they were getting tired of walking. Colin and Talo both sat side by side and on a rock near the pool of water, quietly watching some fish. Beth sat on the ground next to them, looking ready to collapse. Little Malo looked the most worn out of all of them. He'd been completely silent since yesterday, and I missed the sarcastic comments he'd mutter in the first few days I'd been here. Watching him now, he seems the age he really is.

"I'm tired, Amanda..." Talo whimpered a little. "When do we get to the village?"

My heart ached for him and the rest of the children. They shouldn't have to go through all this. "I don't know. But we'll be there soon, hopefully. Don't get distressed, okay?"

A bublin came over. "Up. Now." He said.

I gently helped Beth up and the boys followed suit. "You want me to carry you Malo?" I asked quietly.

The little boy nodded and I picked him up carefully. He rested his head on my shoulder and we followed behind the rest of the kids.

We walked up the path towards the gorge. My boots made a soft tap against the rocky ground as my mind searched for something, _anything_ to get these kids to a safe place where they could rest. But I couldn't think of anything. I mentally kicked myself. I always thought I was good at figuring out these kinda things, but it's harder than it sounds.

"Rest over there." A bublin ordered as the wagon stopped again, just before the bridge over the gorge. I nodded and herded the kids over to a rock cliff to sit down.

"How are you holding up, Beth?" I asked as she sat next to Talo.

"I'm tired...my feet hurt...I just wanna go home..." She murmured, tears pricking at her eyes.

"I understand that...but until Link comes, we have to be strong, okay?" I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "And that means I need you to listen to what I say."

Colin glanced up. "What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you soon, don't worry."

A bit of excitement twinged through Talo's voice; a good sign, I should think. "Do you have an idea?"

I smiled a little. "Perhaps." Though my thoughts resonated with the chant, _'Liar, liar, pants on fire.'_

I opened my mouth to say more, but snapped it shut quickly when I saw the lead bublin clomp over to where we were.

The deep voice rumbled. "You." He pointed to me. "You will ride up front on the wagon now." He turned to the other bublins behind him. "Take the children in the back and hide with them."

I stood and faced the giant monster. "What are you planning?" I made my glare as threatening as I could manage. Though considering it came from me, it probably wasn't threatening at all; more like a frown than anything else.

"Don't worry about that." He snapped. "Just do as I say and the children won't get hurt." A few bublins came to either side of me and grabbed both my arms, pulling me towards the front of it.

"Amanda!" Talo yelled as one of the monsters grabbed his arm.

"It's okay. Just do what they say and everything will be fine." I assured quickly as I was roughly pushed into the front seat. Yelps and whimpers were heard from the back as all four of the kids were pushed into the wagon. Zale and Midnight were still a little jittery and pranced on the spot.

"Drive across the gorge and to the village." The head bublin ordered before climbing into the wagon. "If you don't obey, there will be consequences..." He pulled aside the cloth to reveal the children surrounded by bublins, all with weapons ready, then climbed in directly behind me and shut the curtain. I took a deep breath and gently urged the horses forward, across the bridge.

After we were safely on the other side, I heard bangs and crashes, like wood splintering and breaking. My heart stilled. No...they were destroying the bridge! The horses stopped when I hesitated.

"Keep going." The bublin hissed in my ear.

If I had the halberd and you didn't have the kids guarded so well, I'd already have beaten you to death, you stupid monster. I sighed, though, and did as I was told.

The village gates were fast approaching and my heart started to race. I caught glimpses of different monsters from the cliffs above the village as we went through the gates and up the path. Crap. That won't make things any easier, will it?

Kakariko Village finally came into view. It was pretty, all nestled in the mountain cliffs, the spring making a soft bubbling sound every now and then, and sparkling in the sunlight. Death Mountain loomed overhead, as the villagers and went about their day, unaware of what our wagon and these cliffs held.

A tall and ruggedly handsome older man came to greet us. He was dressed in robes that kept out the heat. "Welcome to Kakariko." He said with a pleasant smile. "I am Renado. Is there anything I can do for you on this day?"

I had to tell them. I had to, and hope the children would be all right. "Get everyone inside." I whispered. "Hurry."

"What?" Renado searched my face carefully. A look a realization settled over him when he realized I was serious and he turned the other way. "Everyone! Inside your homes and shops. Now! Lock up!"

The bublins chose that exact moment to burst out of the wagon. The lead bublin blew his large horn and monsters jumped down from the cliffs. I whipped out my dagger and jumped down from the wagon, tugging on Renado's sleeve. "There's small children inside that wagon! Please, help them get somewhere safe!"

He nodded. "I understand. Leave it to me." He pulled out a staff and started to make his way through the sea of monsters.

I blinked, staring after him. I liked this guy. He didn't ask any questions and seemed to know immediately that there was trouble. I'll have to thank him later. For now I'd better concentrate on fighting off these things and helping the villagers.

"We claim this village in the name of Zant!" The lead bublin yelled, stopping me in my tracks. "Surrender or be killed!" The sunlight suddenly dimmed and twilight settled over Kakariko. Villagers everywhere were scrambling to get inside and hold the doors shut, but the monsters were strong.

"Amanda, come on!" Colin called from the door of Renado's sanctuary.

"Hang on a second!" I yelled back. I pulled myself back onto the front seat of the wagon, and hastily brushed the cloth aside. I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder, along with the halberd. Jumping down, I made a mad dash for the doors. As soon as I was through them, Renado and another man shut and locked them behind me.

"Are you all right?" Renado asked.

I nodded, trying to catch my breath. "I'm...fine...Where are...the kids?"

"We're over here." Talo said.

Phew. That was a relief. I stood up straight and strode over to them. They all seemed to be okay, other than being tired, and probably hungry. Come to think of it, I was, too. When this is all over, I'm going to stuff my face. None of us have eaten since we left Ordon.

There was a loud crash overhead and stone and dust dropped down. Renado quickly hid the children. The other man and I hid on the other side of the fireplace.

"Anyone in there?" I heard one of the monsters say.

There was silence for a moment, then, "Nope. Just an empty building."

"Let's get to the other houses." Then they were gone.

I took a deep breath and joined the others. I had a lot of explaining to do. You kinda owe that to someone when their village gets attacked shortly after your arrival.

But it wasn't my fault. Really. At least, I hoped it wasn't.


	8. The Massacre

**Chapter Eight: The Massacre**

"It's quiet."

I glanced up from what I was doing (which really was nothing) to see Renado glancing out the open window. I couldn't tell what he meant by that—worry, fear, or relief... Considering the nightmare of these past few days, I'd say it was a little bit of all of them.

But it was hard to tell with Renado. The only emotion he showed was what he wanted to. Nothing more, nothing less. He was a very private man. But his firm control was what made him a great leader for the village.

Or, what was left of it.

It'd only been two and a half days since we arrived in Kakariko, but the monsters still made numerous attempts to get the village people to surrender. By any means possible. They'd attacked the sanctuary a few times, but we'd managed to hold them back with the help of Barnes. You know, the guy from the bomb shop? Yeah, he came running in here late last night after his shop was attacked, hauling a huge bag of bombs with him.

If they'd attacked the sanctuary, the monsters had probably attacked other places, too. It was hard to know who was still left alive now, or who was still fighting for their lives.

But it's been quiet all afternoon. And that has Renado a little worried. Me, too. The silence these past few hours has been unsettling. My grip on my halberd has tightened to the point of my knuckles turning white. I'm just waiting for them to attack again.

Yep. Any minute now.

I felt a small tug on my sleeve and I glanced up to see Talo standing in front of me. I forced a small smile for his sake. "What is it, Talo?" I asked.

"The monsters aren't gonna come back, are they?" His voice was a whisper, almost as if he were afraid of them coming back if they heard.

Part of me wanted to lie to him and say no. Just so he and the rest of the kids would feel better. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. "I don't know." I replied instead. "But don't worry, okay? We're safe here."

Barnes was staring out the window, a small bag of bombs by his feet. "Nothing..." He muttered. "Where could those beasts have gone?"

"I do not know, Barnes..." Renado answered quietly. "If you spot anything at all, let me know at once. We may have to chance moving to another place. This little sanctuary cannot hold out against those creatures for so long..."

I glanced around. All the windows in the place were broken or cracked from the last attack. There was a hole in the ceiling. The door had been splintered, but not broken. Yet. The only escape if there was another attack was the basement, but there were monsters down there, too.

Another attack on this place, and we may not have a chance. I stood carefully, going over to the window where Renado stood.

The small opening gave a pretty view of the spring, but you couldn't see much else from here. The once clear water now looked murky and dirty, a far cry from the soothing and healing place it'd been a few days ago. The horse grass looked wilted. The blue sky I'd known when I first came here was dark and foreboding; the color of the twilight.

"It's strange, isn't it?"

"Huh?" I glanced sideways at the older man.

Renado still gazed out the window. "It never seems to turn into night...or night into morning. It's just a never ending twilight..."

Yeah. That makes me mad. Knowing that I'm a floating ball of blue flame.

"I'm sorry, Renado..." I sighed. "I should've done something to steer them away from the village...these people don't deserve this..."

"Under the circumstances, it sounds like you did everything you could. I'm grateful you warned me. Most of the village should be safe, thanks to you."

"Still..."

"If there's anything I can ever do for you, let me know."

I wish there was...I know, could you get me home, village leader man? I sighed. I glanced around the room. Or maybe something we could do to keep our minds off all this stuff? My wandering gaze landed on my halberd.

Wait...

"Actually...there is something..." I reached back and fumbled around in my small pouch for the piece of paper that Rusl had given me on the halberd. "I was curious about this..." I said, handing Renado the drawing of the butterfly.

"This is the same design as on the weapon you possess, is it not?" The shaman asked, studying the page carefully.

"Yeah...can you read what's on the page? No one in Ordon is able to. I found the halberd in the woods, and I want to find out more about it. That page is the only thing we could find so far."

Renado picked up the halberd from it's place against the wall. "It certainly is an odd design...and it's very lightweight, too. I'd be very curious about it if I was in your place, as well. But unfortunately, I cannot read this." He handed the paper back to me. "But I'll tell you what I can do. I have an old friend who resides in Castle Town. His name is Poram, and he'd be an excellent one to ask. He collects weapons of all sorts."

I watched as Renado dug a piece of paper and pen out of a drawer hidden underneath one of the heavy cloths covering the stonework. "And you'd think he'd know about this one?" I asked, as he wrote a short note on the paper.

"Perhaps." He answered, handing the note to me.

"Thank you. I'll definitely go and see him." I said, tucking both the note and the book page back into my pouch. Well, at least I had a way to find out a little more.

At that moment, the ground rumbled violently, shaking the little sanctuary like it was made out of paper. I maintained my balance, running to one of the windows.

"It's happenin' again!" Barnes cried, yanking down his mask.

I fumbled with the lock on the window shutter. "Talo! Colin! Get Beth and Malo to a corner where you can't be seen!"

"This window is secure!" Renado called from a little ways over.

Just as I finally managed to get the shutter locked, the structure went still. "That was strangely short..." I murmured to myself, brushing my hair back with my fingers. Too short. Normally these things lasted about five minutes or so.

Just what was going on now?

Renado frowned. "Is it over?"

I unlocked the window behind me and slowly pulled it open. All was quiet as I peered out into the empty street. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a black blur. My heart skipped a beat as it appeared again, heading towards the item shop.

I slammed the window shut and locked it again, pressing my back to it. "Nope. Not over."

"You saw another one, didn't you?"

I nodded quickly.

"Is it headed towards us?"

I shook my head.

"Then there's no reason to worry. Keep the doors and windows locked for now." Renado went over to sit by the others and I let out the breath I didn't even know I'd been holding, sliding down the wall to sit.

I always thought I'd be brave and kick those giant Twilight monster's butts if I ever got the chance, but after seeing one break a man's neck in about three seconds, I was absolutely terrified of them. This was like something out of some scary movie.

And I didn't like it one bit.

* * *

I don't know how long I'd been sitting there, but a knock on the door snapped me out of my state. Monsters didn't knock...did they? I must be nuts. It had to be some of the townspeople. But why?

Barnes peered out the window. "Can't see anythin'..." He muttered. "Those black brutes are gettin' a whole lot more creative..."

"Hello? Is anyone in there?"

"Cripes! They _talk_ now, too?"

I take back what I'd said before about me being crazy. I think I'm actually the normal one in this case.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you _really_ think a monster would knock at the door?" I asked. "It's probably someone from town." Brushing off my clothes, I stood and called through the door. "Who is this?"

"Open up! We've an emergency!"

I looked over to Renado, who nodded. "Open the doors, Amanda. I know who it is." He said. The kids huddled closer, staring at the doors.

I gave them a sympathetic look, and slowly unlocked and pulled open the double doors. A small crowd of people brushed past me and I shut the doors, locking them again, just in case. Well that was rude. No hello?

"Renado." A tall man, holding what looked like to be some long iron pipe spoke up. I recognized him as the one who called through the door. "We've been waiting for any news on Hannah. Is she here?"

"Why would she be here?" The shaman gently set Malo down (he'd been sitting in his lap), and stood.

I leaned over to whisper to Barnes. Not something I'd normally do, but I was curious. "Who's Hannah?" I asked.

"She's the lady who runs the other shop here." He whispered back.

I started to nod and respond, but I paused. "Why are you still wearing that mask?"

"Because it makes me look mysterious, don't you think?" Barnes lifted the face part up and grinned at me.

"Uh...no." I reached over and slammed it back down.

I must have missed part of the conversation, because they were arguing now. Loudly. I strode over to sit with Talo and Colin and the others, who all clustered around me.

Beth clung to my arm. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention." I answered quietly. "But whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." At least, I hoped so. These children didn't need any more of this. I was getting pretty sick of it myself.

The man I'd spoken to through the door started waving the iron pipe around at Renado and Beth screamed.

"Shut up!" The man shouted, swinging it in our direction as a warning.

My anger surfaced, try as I might to keep it inside for the kids' sakes. Okay. That does it. I've had enough!

I gently removed Beth's hands and picked up my halberd. "Knock...it..._off!_" I swung the weapon accurately and locked it with the pipe. A little more strength and I was able to knock it out of the man's hands.

He started to stride towards me in a rage, but I held the axe up to his neck. "What's the meaning of this?" He slowly tried to back away, but I followed every step.

"How dare you raise your voice in here to a child!" I tightened my grip on the halberd. "This is no place and absolutely not the time to be discussing such things!"

"How would you know? You weren't even listening!"

"I've heard enough to know that you need to leave." I replied, through gritted teeth.

He tried to push the axe away. "I'll leave when I get what I want from Renado, and not damn moment sooner." The man said, stepping towards me.

He would pay for yelling at Beth. No one will hurt these kids while I'm around! I felt my anger getting stronger and the halberd started to glow a bright red. I paused a little to stare at it. I could feel it pulsating with a kind of strange power.

"What kind of magic is this?" The man stepped back, but this time I just stood there. It didn't matter where he moved. I had enough to get rid of him, no matter how much space was between us.

I felt a cool hand on my shoulder. "Calm yourself, Amanda." Renado said as I turned, his dark eyes boring into mine.

I blinked, shaking my head to clear it. As I took a deep, calming breath, the light from the weapon disappeared. What just happened here?

I held a hand to my now pounding head, and sat down.

"Are you okay, Amanda?" Talo asked, worriedly.

"I'm...fine..." I answered, still trying to figure out what'd gone on here.

"You need to leave, Tod." Renado unlocked the door and held it out for the man and the people he'd brought with him.

Tod glared at me and strode out, everyone following. He turned one last time and shouted, "Don't you come running to me, Renado, when the monsters attack one of your own!"

The door was slammed shut tight and re-locked.

"One...of...our own?" I repeated slowly. "What is he talking about?"

"What's left of the town is divided." The shaman said. "Whomever people are with, that's who they'll be loyal to in case something happens again."

"So what you're sayin'..." Barnes lifted his mask. "Is that it's just us?"

Renado sighed. "I'm afraid so." He went over to sit with Luda. She clung to her father's sleeve and he patted her back gently. "Let us pray that this will all end soon. These children cannot take another episode like that. I fear I cannot, either."

I pulled one of the heavy cloths nearby over to me and wrapped it around my shoulders. "Worrying about it won't do any good now. Whatever they wanted, or have chosen to do, they'll do it."

"Unfortunately, that is the case."

I knew what'd they'd chosen to do. I realized it when they'd talked about the item shop owner. The monsters were going to attack them, and they weren't going to survive. Not a single one.

"Let's get some sleep." I said, pulling another woven cloth over for the kids. This way they won't hear their screams when the townspeople are getting killed.

All of them willingly snuggled closer, as if they knew something was going to happen. Renado and Luda settled down, too, on the other side of the room. Barnes sat a little ways away.

None of us spoke a word after that.

* * *

It was a little after midnight that night when I heard them. Terrible, horrifying screams that made me want to cry out and cover my ears and weep until I couldn't anymore. This was too much. Too real. I wanted to be able to turn it off and make all the nightmares stop.

But I couldn't. That's what finally broke me down.

I curled into a ball in my blanket and cried myself to sleep.


	9. A Rescue

**Chapter Nine: A Rescue**

The next day was just as pleasant as the one before. After what'd happened yesterday, everyone kind of just huddled around Renado as if he could make the monsters go away.

Every once in a while there'd be a scuttling from outside, and even down in the cellar. An electric kind of crackling would fill the air from somewhere in the village, and then it would be gone for a while. Then it would come back, and the worrying would start all over again. It'd been going on for hours now.

I have to admit, I was pretty nervous myself. But I settled for sitting near the others and reading the book Renado had given me earlier. Pacing around anxiously wouldn't do anyone any good.

Luda had made a small snack a few hours ago with what we had here in the sanctuary, but no one even touched their food. No one had really slept the night before, either. Every time I woke up, they looked asleep, but I could tell otherwise.

Now we all just sat quietly, waiting for any kind of rescue at all. Any chance that this nightmare was going to end.

Another crackling came from outside, closer this time.

Talo jumped and came over and sat next to Renado and I on the bed. Beth was shivering and shaking like I'd never seen her. I put an arm around her and let her lean on me. After all this is over, she probably won't let me near her again. Better enjoy it while I can. Malo, completely solemn, waddled over and stood close to us.

A man, wearing a metal face mask, stood up, peering out a small crack in the window. "Cripes! I don't see those little black brutes anywhere!" His eyes darted to each corner of the house. "They've gotta be hidin' somewhere, waitin for their helpless little prey to come out! Then they'll FEAST!"

Talo whimpered from between Renado and I. Renado put a comforting hand on him. "We're safe as long as we remain here, child. Be at ease."

Barnes lifted his mask off. "Oh yeah? I wonder if the monsters out there agree with you..." Renado lifted his eyes to the man and glared at him for a moment, then turning his attention back to Talo. "They sure didn't seem impressed by my bombs! How long do you think we can hold this sanctuary against beasts that strong, huh? Once they attack, it's OVER!"

I frowned. "Would you stop it? You're scaring everyone!"

"Oh yeah? Do you remember what happened just last night, hmmm? Just one of those things attacked the general store lady, and a whole gang from the town went to save her! And what happened? She was already gone, and there were TWO monsters waitin'!"

I flinched, remembering the screams I'd heard in the dark last night. Some villagers came to inform us about what we'd known had happened. Those screams were the most terrifying and heart-wrenching sounds I'd ever heard. I'll probably have nightmares for the rest of my life from those.

"You connectin' the dots, girly?" Barnes asked when I didn't reply. "That means if we get attacked by them, then we'll be..."

"BARNES!" Renado raised his voice, making me and the children jump. Beth shook and buried her face in her hands, tears running off her face.

Barnes clamped his mouth shut and put his mask back on, sliding down the wall in shame. "Look, Renado...All I mean to say is it's risky here, too! Ain't you got some place we can hide?"

Renado didn't move. "There is...a cellar." He said quietly.

"WHAAT?" The man scrambled over on all fours and flipped his mask up. "You've got a CELLAR? Where's the entrance, man?"

"The entrance to the cellar is designed to open when all of the candles have been lit..."

Barnes' eyes darted around the room, finally landing on a wooden stick. He quickly lit it and dashed around the room, looking for candles. He spotted one, landing on his knees and lighting it. He tripped when he darted for the next one.

"I...would not do that." Luda murmured. "When father instructed me to secure the cellar, I saw insect-like beasts outside..." She fluttered her hands to mimic the monsters. Barnes fell back onto the ground again and scuttled over to the wall, frightened.

Colin put a hand on Beth's knee. "Don't cry, Beth! It'll be okay!" I smiled slightly at the young boy. He was so sweet. Beth jerked away and buried her face in my shirt. "Link is coming to save us all! I can feel it!" Beth and the other kids brightened a bit when they heard Link's name.

I put a hand on Colin's shoulder. "Thank you, Colin." I said. He blushed a bit, making me grin a little. The grin lasted about ten seconds, then it was gone when I saw the wooden stick Barnes had dropped float in mid air. Another monster? Renado and I exchanged glances. He'd seen it, too. We moved the children quietly behind us. Beth clung to my arm, not seeming to want to let go.

"What is that?" Colin asked, more curious than scared.

"I don't know, child." Renado replied. "Stay close to the others." Barnes had already scuttled over next to the bed and I rolled my eyes. The stick moved towards the lit candle, catching fire. My heart began to race. Luda had said there could be monsters in the cellar...If those candles got lit, we'd be in huge trouble. I suck with weapons.

"Cripes!" Barnes frowned at us, not noticing the flaming piece of wood behind him. "Seems like everyone's tryin' to pull a fast one these days. Boy, I don't have a clue who this Link fella is...but I've gotta say, I ain't overly confidant he's gonna come save this village!"

"You shut up!" Talo yelled suddenly. "You don't know him! He'll come! I know it!"

I grabbed the boy around the waist before he could lunged at the man. "Talo, calm down. Arguing now won't do any good...We just have to be patient and wait." I glanced towards the flames, which were still now, then said a silent prayer. "Please hurry, Link..." I whispered.

Renado guestured for Talo to come sit down. "As things are now, it is likely safest for us to remain here..."

The fire suddenly jerked as if hearing me, and quickly moved from candle to candle, lighting them all. The statue in the middle of the room rolled away, revealing the cellar entrance. We all watched as the stick dropped down into the hole. Renado moved in front of me too, now, seemingly ready to fight with his hands if he had to.

"This has to be some kind of sorcery from those giant black monsters..." The shaman said. "Amanda, give me your weapon, if you please."

A electric snapping and crackling sound came from the cellar below. The monsters! They drew closer and closer, and I handed my halberd over to Renado.

And it was totally silent again.

I ran my fingers through my hair and leaned back against the wall in relief. "Thank you, God..." I said under my breath.

Renado and Colin went around the room, putting out the torches, so the cellar would close again. It rolled over the hole and they went to sit back down again. The children huddled closer than ever to the shaman.

Now all we have to do is wait.

I reached for my book again, but saw the kids' faces and came up with another idea. "Here. Let's pass the time with a story." I said tossing my book in the corner and patted the space around me. "I know some good ones."

Talo peered over at me from behind Renado. "How good?"

"Swords and big battles and an evil sorcerer who wants to destroy everything, but is also somewhat trying to save their dying world in his own way."

Beth pouted. "How do you expect me to enjoy something like that? It sounds like a story for little kids."

"There's romance in it between the main characters. And a few others, too."

She hesitated for a few moments as if wrestling with her thoughts, then came over to sit down in front of me. "Well, if there's romance in it, I suppose it can't be too babyish..."

The rest of the kids came to settle down around me and waited for me to start. Renado gave me a grateful look and leaned back to rest a little. Barnes seemed more relaxed now, too, and leaned against the wall to rest.

I turned back to the kids and started my favorite non-Zelda story. Hopefully it would keep them and me occupied for a while.

"Once upon a time, there was a world called Aselia..."

* * *

'What is that?"

"Hmm?" I glanced up from the old dusty book I begun reading again after I finished the story.

Luda pointed at the window beside me. "Something's happening outside."

A tiny ray of light filtered through a small crack in one of the shutters. I paused my reading and slipped the bookmark between t

he pages so I'd remember the place. Renado and the others glanced at me funny. Like a "what-monster-or-thing-is making-that?" kind of look. I shrugged with a "how-do-you-expect-me-to-know?" one. I mean, really. I don't know everything.

Well...I don't know most...everything...I mean I just got here, and...Yeah, I'll be quiet now.

I leaned onto the window sill and unlocked the shutter to push it open. A blinding light greeted me. Whoa. Bad idea. Am I blind now? I blinked a few times, and opened my eyes. The sight that greeted me was the nicest one I'd seen in days. It was–

"Link?" Colin had already opened the sanctuary door and was outside.

But so were all the other kids. Talo pushed the other boy aside and dashed over to greet Link, Beth right on his heels. Malo just waddled at his own pace. I sighed and pushed open the other shutter, and went to help Colin up.

"Th-thanks, Amanda..." He said.

I smiled slightly. "Looks like things are back to normal now." I added with a sigh of relief as Talo practically pounded his chest with pride at his (well, actually it was Colin's) prediction.

Link's gentle blue eyes turned on me as he set Talo down. "Amanda..."

My feet seemed to move on their own and in the next moment, I was hugging him. I tried to keep my voice steady as I spoke. I wasn't worried. Really, I wasn't. Shut up. "Are you all right?" I asked quietly.

"I should be asking you that question." He whispered, pulling back a little. "What happened? You're covered in scratches..."

"Nothing much. I'm fine, really. They don't even hurt." Anymore.

"You..." He sighed, a slight smile forming. "If you're sure, then I won't say anything else."

I managed to grin a little myself, in spite of the slight seriousness of it all. "Besides...I would've done whatever it was that gave me these just because you'd have told me not to."

He hugged me again and laughed. "I don't know what's more scary, the fact that you really would, or the fact that I've only known you a few days and I know you speak the truth."

"Maybe both?"

"Maybe."

Renado moved up quietly behind us. "...You are the one from Ordon whom these children spoke of?"

"I am." Link replied, eyeing him suspiciously.

"We are well met. I am Renado, shaman of this town. And this..." He momentarily glanced at Barnes, then back to us. "This is my daughter, Luda."

I stifled the giggle that threatened to escape as Barnes slammed down his mask with a huff and walked off. Luda met my gaze and smiled delightedly, giggling a little herself as she nodded her greeting.

Colin twiddled his thumbs a little, shifting his feet in the dirt. "The beasts took us and left us to die...but Mr. Renado helped us."

"When Amanda told me the whole story...At first, I couldn't believe they had come from so distant a place as the Ordona Province..." Renado added thoughtfully.

"Yeah..." I agreed, remembering. We'd been up all night during that first day here. The children had tried to sleep while I explained it, but they'd ended up giving me a hand, since I didn't know much about this place. I made a mental note right then and there: Pay more attention to the landscape while you're playing video games. "It took a little convincing on my part, and everyone else's as well."

Colin sighed. "Yeah, and besides that... We don't remember much. All of a sudden everyone was captured, and then...until now...it's been like..."

"...A nightmare." Malo supplied quietly.

"Yeah! It was like a terrible dream and we couldn't wake up..."

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner..." Link said quietly, his fists clenching.

I could see the anger in his eyes and I placed a gentle hand on his arm. "It's not your fault. Not anyone's. Don't beat yourself up over this. We're all fine, and that's what matters."

Renado nodded in agreement, folding his arms thoughtfully. "Mmm...yes...and anyway, nightmares are everywhere these days, it seems, not just in the Ordona Province. This village has certainly seen its share of recent hardships..."

I frowned. "Hardships?"

"The dark beasts attacked, but even worse was the sudden and inexplicable change in the mountain-dwelling Goron tribe. They had long been our friends, but suddenly treated us as foes. Even now they refuse to permit us entry into their mines."

"I thought the Gorons were a peaceful tribe..." Link said.

"It does strain the limits of belief..." The shaman glanced up at the mountain towering over the village. "To think that such a gentle and proud tribe could change so suddenly...It makes me wonder if something in those mines is the cause of this change..."

Link and I exchanged worried glances. I'm sure both of us were thinking of that day in the forest. Maybe another monster like that got into the mines? I don't know anymore than they do. The changes so far make me nervous about what direction this whole thing is headed in. In any case, it can't be good.

"In any case..." Renado continued. "You must take these children and flee this village before more nightmares descend. I, of course, cannot leave my village in such a time." All the kids gave a cry of protest. "There is no telling what may happen to us here...But it is my job to try to coax the Gorons back from their recent change of heart."

Talo chose that moment to interrupt. "I don't wanna leave all these people just to save ourselves!" He cried, unable to stand still now.

"Come on, Link!" Beth added. "Can't you do something?"

"Well, I—" He started.

"Isn't there...some way to make up with the Gorons?" Colin asked. "You said they were peaceful."

"It's not that—"

"You'd think someone could go to the mines and do something..." Malo directed the comment towards Renado, but looked up at Link while he said it.

"But—"

"Link." Luda interrupted. "Trying to go near the mines is very dangerous. I will be very sad to be separated from Colin and the others...but I know they must go. Please return them safely to their parents."

"I—"

Renado shook his head and held a hand out to the children to silence them, looking back up at us. "I do not know what is in the Goron mines, but surely they will soon come to understand it, and right what is wrong. Do not concern yourself with me, my son. You are welcome to stay the night here at the inn, but you must flee this place as quickly as you can."

"Would you just—"

I patted him on the arm and grinned. "Just give it up while you're ahead." I said leaving him, and following Renado and Luda back towards the sanctuary. "Hey...would you mind if I cooked for everyone tonight? I'm sure you're all hungry and you've done so much for us. It's the least I could do."

He smiled. "I think that's a wonderful idea. The inn should have a sufficient kitchen and the bedrooms should be usable enough. Luda and I will be down later."

I nodded. "Great." Anything to keep myself busy. I need to plan out my speech to get Link to let me come with him. Things have changed and Midna is here now, too. I have this funny feeling we won't get along very well...I turned on my heel. "Beth, wanna help me cook something? I'm going down to the inn to make dinner!"

The young girl glared at me, causing me to pause and rethink what I'd just said. I must be crazy or something to invite Beth along. Correction. I was hungry. I hadn't eaten much in the last several days. Stupid hunger pangs.

The streak of anger came, and she opened her mouth to snap, but she sighed. "I have nothing better to do, I guess." She mumbled.

Everyone froze as those words escaped her lips. Well everyone from Ordon and me.

"What?" Beth snapped irritably, when she saw everyone's jaws drop. "I'd rather be with an outsider than hang around you stupid boys."

Talo walked up and put a hand to her forehead. "Are you sick, Beth?" He grimaced when Beth flicked him in the forehead. "Oww! What was that for?"

Beth just turned her back and kept an angry silence.

I sighed. "Let's just go before this turns into a bigger argument."

"Are you saying I started it?" The girl turned, her angry glare returning.

I put my hands on my hips and glared right back. "No, but I know you'll sure as hell finish it."

She stomped right up to me, not backing down one bit. "What did you say, you outsider?"

Grrrrrrrr! That does it! "You heard me, you little twerp!" I retorted, the name slipping from my mouth before I could stop it. I'm normally a nice person (I'd like to think), but...let's face it. Beth just brings out the worst in me.

"Ooooooo! You!" She turned and stomped down the road, spouting names the whole way.

I sighed and rubbed my temples as Link stepped up beside me. "Things are back to normal, I suppose?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"God help me." I muttered, head in my hands.

As I turned to follow Beth, who was already halfway there (and still calling out names, I might add), I overhead Luda and Talo talking.

"...A-are they...always like that?..."

I heard Talo groan. "Yep. Always."

* * *

Note to self: never agree to let Beth do anything—at least when I'm involved—again. I swear that she set up that whole incident to get back at me.

But before that it almost seemed like she liked me.

The men had called us back over insisted they come along and ensure that there were no monsters left, but Beth and I managed to shoo them away, telling them that I had the halberd and we'd be fine. Really we would. We don't need men, dangit!

Of course, Link had to go and remind me that I hadn't the slightest _idea_ how to even use it properly.

I...couldn't think of anything clever to say, so I'd walked away. Oh yeah. And stuck my tongue out at him. Real clever, I know.

...I really need to work on my debate skills.

Beth was the first to reach the inn. She'd gone way ahead of us when Link and I had been...er..._debating_ over the halberd. So she'd have had time to set it up, the little devil.

I finally decided to ignore all the protests, and just go. I could hear them behind me, still trying to say stuff, but it was easier to ignore them when they were little specks in the distance.

I climbed the steps to the inn's front porch and turned the knob to the front door. I paused. Where was that rushing sound coming from?

I felt a pressure in the center of my back, and I fell to the side with a crash as something shattered.

So that now leads to me. On the floor. Next to a now-broken pot that came very near to the back of my head. Yep, I just turned the doorknob.

I stared at the pieces of the pot, unable to move. What had just happened here?

"Amanda? Are you okay?" The normally clam Luda look frightened as she rushed in to help me up.

I shook my head and slowly picked myself up. "Yeah. Don't worry. Just a faulty...shelf..." Looking up, I saw there was none. That's...odd. There wasn't even a ledge.

Beth came out of the kitchen, frowning. "What's going on out here? I thought we were gonna cook." She eyed the mess on the floor. "What's with the broken pot?"

I straightened and took the broom that Luda handed to me. "Nothing. Just a little clumsy." I mumbled.

"Teh. Typical outsider." She rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you and Luda go see what you can find in the kitchen?" I said, leaning on the broom. "I'll be there in a minute."

I sighed and shook my head as Beth rolled her eyes again. The two girls disappeared into the other room. Yeah...Beth is back to normal. I'm still not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I swept the last of the broken jar up, just as the inn's front door opened.

"What happened here?" Link asked, as I dumped the jar into an empty bin.

"Stupid jar nearly killed me." I kicked the bin for good measure. "It came of nowhere when I walked in the door."

"You seem okay, though. It probably just fell off a broken shelf."

I pointed above us. "Except there is none.

He frowned. "You didn't see anyone?"

"Nope."

"Well, keep your eyes open for anything unusual." He pulled the door open to go, then paused and turned back to me. "Oh, I wanted to ask you if I could talk to you later. Privately."

I leaned on the broom. "Um...Sure. Is something wrong?"

"No. After everything that's happened, we just need to talk about how we're going to get you home."

"I thought we'd discussed that..."

He sighed. "A few things have...changed..." Link grinned at me. "But it's no worry. I'll tell you about it more later."

I put the broom back in the closet Luda got it from and nodded. "Okay. I guess I'll see you later, then." I folded my arms and watched him go. Something was up. I already knew about Midna and the whole Zant thing, so what could it be?

My instincts told me it probably wasn't going to be good. But then again, how could it be any worse than the last couple of days?

I turned to go into the kitchen and saw the stove spouting orange flames. Beth and Luda were frantically trying to put it out. I grabbed a bucket of water and joined them.

Yep. Nothing could be worse than this.

I hope.


	10. Midna

**Chapter Ten: Midna**

The smells of all kinds of foods drifted through the inn and out the open doors. We'd decided to invite the remaining villagers to eat, too, and they'd been grateful. Some of the women and girls brought more food and helped us cook.

After we put the fire out, that is. Luda said Beth had started it. Beth said that Luda had started it.

I handed them both rags and told them to both be quiet and clean the kitchen.

Anyway, back to the present. It smells a whole lot better than burned wood.

"How's those potatoes coming, Jillian?" I asked one of the older women, stepping up to glance inside the large pot. I inhaled deeply and sighed with content. "They smell wonderful."

She smiled, brushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "Thank you. They should be ready soon." She wiped her hands off on her apron. "I'm going to go check and see how the others are doing. You keep your fingers out of those potatoes, young lady."

I made as innocent a face as I could, that said, 'Who, _me_?'. Jillian shot a look right back like one my mother would give me. She and my mom were almost alike, with dark hair and tan skin, except Jillian was taller. My mom is pretty short, like me.

As soon as her back was turned, I scooped a bite of potatoes and lifted it to my mouth.

"Put it back, Amanda."

I dropped the spoon in surprise. How is it that moms can do that?

"Amanda!" Another voice called.

"Y-yeah?" I spun around on my heel, almost walking headfirst into Jillian's daughter, Maya. She'd come with her mother to help, and with her bright personality, she lit up the inn and made everyone feel at ease. We'd become instant friends.

She laughed. "Oops. Sorry."

I shook my head and smiled. "It's okay. What did you need?"

"My fiancée, Hane, is here." Maya replied with a grin. "He's one of the starving males waiting in line at the tables for the food."

We rushed into the other room and peered out the door. I frowned, holding up a hand to block out the fading sunlight. "Which one is he?"

Maya brushed her long dark braid over her shoulder and cupped her hands over her mouth to yell. "Hane! Over here!"

One of the men standing next to Link waved and called back. He wore simple traveling clothes that fit his athletic frame well, and his brown hair was cut short. Hane's blue eyes sparkled when he spoke, especially to Maya.

"He's cute." I nudged her elbow and grinned.

She nodded and dropped her hand, blushing. "I know. We've been friends since we were kids, and I still get nervous around him."

"Hey, that's a good thing, right?"

"Yep." She smiled.

We both jumped when we heard a sharp voice. "Amanda! Maya! Kitchen, now!" Jillian yelled from the kitchen. "I never said you could have a break!"

"My mother, the slave driver." Maya muttered as she turned and went back into the inn.

I waved at Link and went back inside after Maya. "I suppose it was a bit of my fault. I did say I'd make dinner, and then the whole village got involved!"

"No, you had a good idea. The bad part was letting my mother take charge of it!"

We both stifled our girlish giggles as we entered the kitchen, so as not to attract Jillian's attention. Jillian quickly put us to work, glaring at us every now and then when our eyes would meet and we'd try miserably to cover up our laughter.

Jillian finally just slammed down her knife and put her hands on her hips. "Okay, what in all the world is so funny, girls?"

Maya and I looked at each other again and another laughing fit came before either of us could get any words out. It was just one of those stupid things you can't stop laughing about, even though it's not really funny at all. It'd happen all the time with my sister, or my two best friends, who were like sisters to me.

I paused and sighed. "It's nice."

"What's nice?" Maya asked with a grin.

"It's nice that I have people here that remind me of home. That way I'm not so homesick." I replied.

I'd told both Jillian and Maya earlier what'd happened to me, and how I'd got here, but no one else. I still wasn't sure who I could exactly trust yet. I hadn't even told Renado. Though I might have to eventually...but for now, Jillian and Maya were the only ones besides the people of Ordon that I trusted.

"Oh, sweetie." Jillian wrapped me in a motherly hug. "I'm happy that we can make you feel better. Anything else you need, just let Maya or I know and we're there."

"So am I." A male voice said. We turned to see a man with piercing blue eyes and a lopsided grin step into the kitchen. "But you'd better give me first tastes of everything to keep me quiet."

Maya swatted the newcomer on the arm playfully. "Knock it off, Hale. You be nice to Amanda." She slipped her arms around her fiancée's waist and kissed him on the cheek. "You're not supposed to be in here anyway."

"Some welcome." Hale said, feigning hurt.

"Maya's right, Hane. Now shoo. We'll never get this food served with you in the way." Jillian said, helping some of the other village ladies put large bowls and plates of foods on trays. I didn't know what some of it was, but all of it smelled delicious.

Scents of spices, cooked vegetables, breads and, meats all filled the kitchen. It was easy to see why anyone would be drawn in here.

"I'm going, I'm going." Hane said when he was shooed out by a few others. "Sheesh."

Maya and I giggled as he left. We were shushed and put to work helping the others put the food on the trays. There was so much of it! And it all made me hungry. I hadn't eaten much in the past four days or so. But I had to help the other women serve the men first.

"Here's a tray of food." I said, holding the heavy load out to Beth, who'd been helping cook. "Take it outside and set it out on the tables."

Beth put her hands on her hips. "What do I look like, a waitress?"

"For the time being, that's exactly what you are." I replied, taking her hands and placing the tray in it. "Don't run with this. You could spill it."

She set a smug look on her face and turned and started running. How did I know that she'd do that?

"Fine!" I yelled after her. "Just don't drop it, or you're dead meat!"

I sighed and turned back into the kitchen, setting back to work, filling another tray with food. Maya came up and handed me a few dishes and put a few on another next to mine. I hoisted it up and she followed suit with the other.

"Shall we?" She said.

I followed her out of the kitchen and through the lobby. The tricky part was getting down the porch steps without falling. Maya managed to do it effortlessly and gracefully. Unfortunately for me, I'm not graceful at all and I stumbled and almost dropped my tray.

"Careful." Link was standing nearby and came to my rescue, helping me balance.

"Thanks." I said, setting the tray down and unloading the food. "Where have you been?"

"Just around. Waiting for all of you to finish." He gave me a boyish grin. "I'm starving!"

I laughed as I slipped the tray under my arm. "We're done. A few more people are coming out with plates and such, and then you can eat. Us women are going to clean the kitchen in the meantime."

"When are all of you going to eat?"

"When we're done with the kitchen. We can't just leave it that way." I climbed the steps and leaned out of the doorway with a wide smile. "Besides, if we stop now, none of us will want to do it later and then you men would have to do all the cleanup!"

I ducked back inside before waiting for a response from him, but I could imagine a look of horror was probably on his face right about now. But enough of that. Jillian would have my head if I wasn't in there cleaning. I peered around the corner.

Phew. She was busy. Maybe I could–

"Amanda!"

Never mind.

"There you are, young lady!" Jillian was frowning. Uh-oh...this can't be good... "I have a job for you and Maya...since you two have been so good at evading work today, I'm going to give you the biggest job of all..."

I swear I could hear her laugh a little as she towered over me, and it scared me. It really, really scared me.

* * *

It took _forever_ to do the dishes. There were tubs and tubs of them. Luckily the older women did those. Maya and I swept and washed the floors. Not just in the kitchen, though. Jillian had us to the whole lower floor and straighten up the second floor. So I'll rephrase that—It took us forever to clean the inn.

We were both pretty quiet when we cleaned the lower floor, but when we got upstairs and out of earshot...then it was a different story. Maya regaled me with stories of her childhood mishaps with Hale and I couldn't stop laughing or wanting to hear more. They sounded like such a cute couple, almost out of a romance novel. And the room was a mess, so it took a while! Broken wood, beds askew, pots broken...yeah.

Anyway, back to the stories...

"There was this one time..." She said, dark eyes glittering. "...It was a little after midnight when Hale and I snuck out of our houses to meet at the hot spring right above this inn."

"Ah..." I tossed the other end of the bed sheet to her so she could tuck it in. "So...was this a midnight swim?"

"Yeah." Maya admitted, straightening the covers. "He gave me my first kiss up there that night."

I sighed at the thought of it. "It sounds so romantic."

"It was. He even put candles around the water edge."

"Aww-"

A soft knock sounded at the bedroom door. Our gazes met and we both probably thought the same thing. Jillian. Maya hopped up and started on the other bed while I went with broom in hand to answer the door. Please, oh, please don't let it be her mother...

"Hey." Link greeted as I opened the door.

Yesssssss!

The smell of food wafted in and I saw him holding a tray full of dinner. Hale stood behind him, holding another filled with dessert. "We thought you two could use a break."

"Oh, thank the goddesses." Maya dropped the quilt and flopped down. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever get to stop."

"Your mother has been working you hard, I see." Hale leaned down to give his fiancée a peck on the cheek. "The women downstairs just went to go eat...when we didn't see you two, we'd wondered where you'd gone."

I stifled a yawn. "The inn isn't all that big."

"Thank goodness for that." The older girl piped up, muffled by a pillow now.

"You need to eat, Maya." Hane said gently. "This whole ordeal these last few days wasn't good on your health..."

I grabbed some food and put it on my plate. "I think we'll just leave you two alone..." I said, standing and inching towards the door.

"I think that's a good idea..." Link agreed, following me.

They didn't even notice us slip out and shut the door. They were speaking in hushed tones now, so we just started back downstairs. Probably catching up since they'd been apart for so long.

"Ummmm..." I said with the fork still in my mouth, taking a bite of the ham. "This is really good." I sat down on the bottom step and sampled the potatoes. I sighed with happiness as they practically melted in my mouth. Jillian is a good cook. I'll have to get the recipe from her later. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk about? I asked, taking a larger bite this time. "Yum..."

He chuckled. "I think it should wait until you've relaxed a bit and finished your food."

"Hey, no complaints here." I grinned. "So, where are the kids?"

"Playing outside. It'll be hard trying to get them to come inside."

"No..." I said taking another bite and swallowing. "What'll be hard is convincing them that they'll be able to go back outside."

Link watched me quietly while I finished eating. "They had a rough time, didn't they?"

"Worse than you can probably imagine." I answered softly. "I've never seen Beth and Malo so quiet, and Talo and Colin were actually getting along. They were all scared, but Talo and Colin really were strong for the others."

"And you?" He asked. His blue eyes bore into mine, as if trying to read what I wasn't going to tell him.

I blinked. "Me? I was fine. Perfectly fine." I stood, keeping my voice steady and even managing a smile. "Let me go wash this off and we can go talk somewhere more private." My bare feet made a quiet tapping sound on the wood floor as I scurried into the kitchen.

I let out a sigh and reached for a sponge. I didn't mean to lie, but those memories of my first days in Kakariko Village had been buried the moment I stepped out of that sanctuary and they were going to stay that way.

I finished washing my dishes and put them on the shelf with the other clean ones, reaching back to untie the apron I'd been wearing over my clothes. I hung it on a peg and reached for my boots, which I'd left by the stove. My hand grasped air and I frowned.

I put my hands on my hips and huffed in disgust. "Who'd move my?—Jillian." That woman was on a cleaning frenzy and she probably moved everything and anything that didn't belong in the kitchen, including my shoes. Looking around, they were nowhere in plain sight. I got down on my hands and knees and looked under a table that'd been brought in.

"What are you doing?"

I jumped, bonking my head on the underside of the table. "Oww..." I muttered, climbing out and rubbing my sore head. "I'm looking for my shoes. I left them in here earlier and Jillian moved them."

Link leaned on the door frame with a slight grin. "You could always go barefoot." He offered.

I paused. "Well, that depends...where'd you want to talk?"

"Oh, I thought the graveyard up the hill from the sanctuary would be private enough."

"You're kidding, right?" When he didn't say anything, I jumped to my feet. "No! Nuh-uh! No _way_ am I walking through someplace like that barefoot! It's creepy enough, especially at night, there's a lot of dead people, and—hey, this isn't funny!"

He wiped a tear from his eye as he pushed open the side door. "They're back here, Amanda. I saw Jillian put them here earlier when she and the other ladies were cleaning. I just wanted to see your reaction when I said that."

I stomped over and snatched them up, ducking under his arm. "That was not funny." I mumbled, sitting down and slipping them on.

"Actually, it was pretty—" I scowled darkly and he shook his head, the traces of a smile still on his face. "Fine, fine. Come on. Let's go up to that graveyard."

I sighed and followed silently into the cool night. The skies above Kakariko were clear for the first time in days and you could see the stars perfectly. The muck and grime that was the spring was now crystal clear and perfect. Now that the twilight was gone, you could really see the beauty of the mountain village.

Walking up to the graveyard, though, seemed like a death sentence. The cliffs closed in over us and around us, and the moon cast an eerie glow on the place. Plus I knew I'd be meeting Midna, and I never liked her much in the game. She was annoying and bossy, and I hated being told what to do by her. And her smile was just plain creepy.

Link stopped a little ways ahead of me, not saying anything. I shivered as a cold wind blew. This place is really starting to freak me out...But I have to be strong. Otherwise, I might be forced to stay here instead of go along. I took a deep breath. I can handle this place!

"S-so...what'd you want to talk about?" I asked, keeping a watchful eye on those birds gathering up in the tree by the Zora's grave. Link was silent, as if considering how to put it. "It doesn't have anything to do with that attack on Ordon and Kakariko, does it?"

He sighed and turned to me. "Yes, it does. Though it's hard to explain what's truly going on here, because I don't fully know myself..."

"Why don't you start with what you do know?" I suggested gently, turning and jumping up to sit on one of the tombstones.

"I met with the princess. Though not in the way I expected...and I don't like at all what she told me." Link was frowning as he leaned against the tombstone beside me.

I waited quietly as he gathered his thoughts. "It has to do with that weird twilight, doesn't it?"

"Yes. All of Hyrule, not just Kakariko, has been covered in it. The castle was attacked by these strange twilight creatures and taken over."

I shuddered. "I've seen them."

"And now all everyone can do is sit here while they suffer at the hands of some madman." Link clenched his fists.

My eyes widened. "S-suffer? You mean every other place is just like Kakariko was during the twilight?" My heart ached and my skin crawled at the mere mention of it. Of other innocent people suffering like we did. Monsters everywhere. Killing without a second thought.

"And I couldn't even protect my own village!" Link's sudden outburst startled me and I tumbled off the tombstone to my knees onto the stone below.

I ignored the shooting pain in my left knee and crawled over to him. "It's not your fault." I whispered. "You couldn't have known this was going to happen...don't blame yourself for this. All you can do now is do the best you can to change it." I gave him a teasing smile when he glanced up at me. "And that's what I assume you plan to do?"

"As long as you come with me." He answered with his own slight smile.

I carefully sat back on the tombstone. "Are you kidding? This is me we're talking about, remember? I'm coming whether you say I can or not, and you'll just have to live with it."

"Of course." Link started to say something else, but frowned when he noticed my knee. "You're hurt."

"S-so, is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Amanda..." The swordsman warned. "Don't change the subject."

"My knee is fine. I'm just a little clumsy that's all. Now are you gonna answer my question?"

"Not until I look at that knee."

"Not on your lif—Hey!" I almost fell over again as he took my knee and examined it. "I told you, I'm fine!"

A sigh came out of nowhere. "Listen to the woman. She's fine." The annoyed voice agreed. I watched as Link's shadow grew tall and took the shape of a familiar someone...

I yelped and fell backwards, landing behind the tombstone with a thud. Link rushed to help me up. "Amanda? Are you all right?"

"Just f-fine..." I muttered, rubbing my sore backside. "Man, am I going to feel this in the morning."

Link glared at something that was still in front of the tombstone. "You could've let me give her warning, Midna."

The shadow pixie popped her head over and stared down at us, head propped up by her tiny hand. "It's more fun this way." Midna answered with a toothy grin.

I glared up at her, then at him.

"So there was something else."


	11. Suspicions

**Chapter Eleven: Suspicions**

If you could see the look on Link's face right now, you'd wanna slowly back away. And I mean slowly. He looks downright _dangerous_ when he scowls. The moonlight illuminated the gold chain mail that he wore under his green tunic and the sword and shield on his back. If I didn't know him any better, I'd be completely terrified. That sword looks _very_ sharp.

Whoa, whoa, hold on a second...when did he get those?

...Why is it that I don't notice these things sooner?

Midna didn't look the least bit intimidated. "Oooo..." She giggled. "The big, strong hero thinks he can scare me!" She leapt into the air and landed on his shoulder. "Lighten up. She's not hurt." The twilight shadow offered me a toothy grin. "Right, clumsy?"

I was tempted to say no, but I just forced a smile. "Right, pixie."

Her eyes narrowed. "What did you just say?"

Mental note—call Midna "pixie" from now on. It makes her mad. "You heard me."

"Don't insult me like that, clumsy. Pixies are weak. You'll find one way or another, that _I_ am not."

"Really, now." I wasn't impressed. "How come you're with Link, then, huh?"

He snorted from behind me. "Trust me. She wouldn't even _be_ here if she hadn't helped me, and I promised to help in return."

I turned to him, frowning. "Helped you?"

"I told you the castle had been taken over, completely covered in twilight."

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with it?"

"In the twilight...I become a wolf. And I was imprisoned in the castle for a time."

I did my best to look surprised. It's kinda hard when you're as exhausted as I was, but I think I pulled it off. At least, I hope I did. If not, I'm in _big_ trouble. "What?...I mean, how?—"

He folded his arms. "I don't know."

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" Midna said, with a hint of frustration. "I'm helping you and clumsy here, and you have to help me."

"And just how are you helping me?" I asked.

"By letting you come along."

"Since when do _you_ get to decide who goes and who stays?"

She gave a grin and patted Link's head. "Since I let this one be my servant." Midna looked over me once. "I suppose I could let you be one, too. But you look too weak. Maybe not. We'll see how the first week goes."

"Why I oughta—"

Link grabbed my arm before I could do anything (like strangle her and drop her off some cliff) and pulled me back. "Let it go." He whispered. "It's not worth it."

"I dunno. It'd sure make me feel better." I muttered.

"Why don't we go back to the inn?" He suggested. "It'll be a long day tomorrow. We need to go back and let the rest of Ordon know that the children are all right. Maybe Rusl can give you a lesson on how to use that halberd."

I started down towards the village. "Maybe." I agreed, yawning.

Midna floated along behind us. "Well, get some rest. My servants must be in top shape! Well..._servant_." She giggled. "Night!" With that, she jumped into Link's shadow and disappeared.

"That's just creepy how she does that..." I commented.

"You don't know the half of it." Link said.

I figured I probably didn't. But boy did she ever make me mad.

...This is going to be a very_ long_ journey.

* * *

I pulled open the bedroom door back at the inn and was greeted by Maya and Jillian's laughter. The room was lit well with candles now and had been separated by a curtain that hung from the ceiling. The wardrobe and clothes dressers were back in place now, too.

"Oh, Amanda." Maya greeted. She snuggled into a soft-looking robe. "You're back. Where'd you go?"

I dropped down onto the bed next to her. "Just for a walk. It's pretty nice out." Without Midna, that is.

"We found a bag of clothes and such in an abandoned wagon." The older girl got up and rummaged around in the wardrobe. "Might they be yours?" She asked, holding out the bag.

I reached for it and ran my fingers along it. "Yeah. How'd you know?" I took it and glanced inside. Phew. Those monsters hadn't taken anything from it. The empty bottle from the potion I'd drank was still in there, too.

Jillian laughed. "We already asked the other women, dear. You were the only one left."

"Oh." I nodded and pulled out my nightgown that Ilia had given me what seems a lifetime ago.

"Are you okay?" Maya asked, concern in her dark eyes. "You seem kinda...out of it."

"Just tired." I assured her, letting the cool gown slide on easily. "I promise, I'll be just fine in the morning." Especially if Midna isn't there.

"If you..." The older girl just sighed as I flopped down, face in pillow. "...say so."

I punched my pillow to flatten it. "Yep. I do."

She chuckled. "Goodnight, Amanda."

"Goodnight, Maya."

I finally layed down and pulled the covers over my head with a groan. Maybe in the morning Midna would magically be gone and I wouldn't have to deal with her.

Oh, who am I kidding? She's gonna be here with us the whole time.

Yep, the whole...time...

I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

It's cold.

I shivered and rubbed my arms to try and keep warm. Where was the blanket? My hand touched solid stone when I reached to feel beneath me. Better yet, where was the bed?

I sat up and opened my eyes slowly. The inn that I was sleeping in was no longer. Now there was some sort of temple in its place. I'd been laying in the shadows of one of the giant stone pillars that towered to the cathedral ceiling. Beautiful crystal windows were black with the darkness outside. Whether it was night or something else, I didn't want to know.

I stepped gingerly out from the shadows and onto a red and gold carpet that looked like it belonged in some fairytale castle. My boots didn't make a sound on the beautiful carpet as I moved forward towards an altar. There was some kind of carving in the stone wall behind it. As I got closer, I cold hardly contain my gasp. A Triforce was carved carefully and perfectly into the wall, a sun and it's rays set underneath.

Jumping down the steps two at a time, I ran back towards the entrance of the temple. A grey platform sat there, and on it, more carvings. This time, of a very familiar medallion. I fell to my knees and ran my fingers over it.

"If this is your idea of a joke, Midna, it isn't funny!" I shouted. My voice just echoed off the walls. I sighed. "I'm seriously..."

"In trouble." A male voice finished.

Chills went down my spine at the sound of it. "Who's there?" I stood and braced myself. For what, though? It rung all around, so I couldn't tell where it'd come from.

The answering voice laughed from behind me now. "Do you really think that stupid Midna would know that you knew about this place?" I opened my mouth to answer, but someone started to step out of the shadows. "Unless you know some things you shouldn't..."

I clamped my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming as I finally caught sight of who'd been lurking in those shadows.

Ganondorf.

"Well, answer me, you foolish girl!" The King of Thieves took a menacing step towards me, but I stepped back even further to keep our distance. "What do you know?"

I frowned as much as I could. "Why should I tell you? Maybe you should tell me how you know about me, first."

He sneered. "It's simple. This is my world now; past, present, and future. If something goes on to disturb my perfect balance, then I know about it." Ganondorf had somehow closed the space between us in the blink of an eye and grabbed my chin in his hand, forcing me to look up at him. "The moment it happens."

He let go and knocked me to the floor. I managed to push myself up and glare at him, even though I was terrified. This guy could kill me here and now, and I was without any form of defense. I'd never get to go home. Never get to see my family and friends again.

"So tell me...what do you know?"

But...I've made friends here, too. And some of them have been like family and taken me in, after knowing me only an hour, maybe.

"Answer me, girl!" Ganondorf drew his sword.

...Dang it, what should I do? I'm running out of time to think about this!

Which proves that I think about these things waaayyyyy too much. I should just go with my heart. And my heart says...

"There's no way in hell I'm telling you anything." I replied calmly, getting to my feet now.

He smirked. "Heh. You don't understand do you? Foolish girl. You're not getting out of here alive." Ganondorf came charging at me with a cry.

My reflexes kicked in and I jumped to the side, barely missing the stroke of the sword. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough. He swung the sword in an arc and struck my side, leaving a long gash.

I cried out in pain and clutched my side, blood flowing freely from the wound. The sword came at me again and I barely got out of the way in time. One second later, and I'd be sliced in half. I grimaced, falling to one knee. Everything was getting fuzzy...My other leg gave out and I fell to the floor.

"I told you, you stupid girl. This is my world now. You have to follow my rules." I could hear his boots on the carpet. The swish of his sword above me made my heart sink.

I can't die. Not now. Not so early in this...this can't be happening...

"And you broke them. Now you must die."

Several things happened all at once. The wind that the sword made brushed my face as it came down towards my body. I braced myself for it; the feel of the blade as it slid through me. But it never came. Another rush of air came, as did a strangled cry from Ganon as he hit the stone floor.

I could feel a strong arm slip under me and lift me up halfway. "I know you can hear me." A commanding female voice said as swords clashed in the background. "Nod your head if you understand me."

I nodded slowly. Oh man, did my head ever hurt.

"Good." I heard the woman rummaging around in a bag. "This is a red potion. I need you to drink it."

Oh, no. Not one of those. Anything but that! "Don't...like 'em." I managed with a small cough. "Nothing...could make...me...drink it..."

"If you want to live, you must."

I don't care! Wait, yes I do. "F-fine..." I coughed again. The woman helped me sit up a little more and handed it to me. Well, here goes again. I downed it in a few gulps and shivered in disgust.

There was another cry in the background and someone else came to stand in front of me and my savior.

"Damn it!" Ganondorf hissed. "This isn't over, girl! You got lucky this time! Next time, there won't be anyone to save you!" A whoosh of wind and the temple was silent.

I tried to open my eyes. Whoa. The room spun like a merry-go-round and I closed them again.

"Don't push yourself." The newcomer said, as he bent over me. "Take your time. You've been injured pretty badly."

That voice...sounded so familiar...like someone I knew...

I tried one last time to open my eyes and keep them open. My vision was blurry, but I could make out the features of the woman helping me sit up. Her crimson eyes watched me gently. She had short silver hair that was pulled back from her face, revealing a sharp silhouette.

As I turned to glance at my other rescuer, my vision began to grow dark.

"What? What's happening?" I heard him and could just barely feel him reach for me as I faded. The last thing that filled my sight was the image of Link's face.

* * *

I shot up in bed in a cold sweat, a silent scream caught in my throat. I was back in my bed now, in my nightgown. And I wasn't bleeding to death. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mmm...Manda?" I turned to see Maya rubbing her eyes sleepily, arms hugging her pillow. "Is everything okay?..."

"I'm fine." I yawned a little and slid my feet over the side of the bed. "Just a scary dream, that's all." My feet touched the cold floor and I shivered, reaching for a robe. "I'm gonna go get some-" I held back a cry of pain when I stood.

Maya was wide awake now. "Amanda? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." I replied, standing carefully now. My side was killing me. "Just a leg cramp."

"Are you sure?" Even in the darkness, I could see the concern in her eyes.

I nodded. "I'm just gonna go get some water and take a walk." I wrapped the robe tighter around me and managed a smile. "I'll be back, okay?."

She didn't look convinced, but she nodded back anyway. "Okay...If you need me, I'll be up here."

"Kay." I stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind me.

It had to be well after midnight at least. Most of the candles were out in the room, with the exception of one, which I held now. The shadows in the room had seemed menacing, closing in on me by the second. I was all too glad to get out of there.

I made an effort to be extra quiet as I tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen. My side ached like heck. Funny...it was the same side that I'd been injured on in my dream. I reached for a red potion on one of the shelves.

But...

I paused, setting the potion down. It seemed really real. I could feel what was going on. The softness of the carpet beneath my feet, the cold stone floors, the swiftness of Ganondorf's sword as it barely missed me a second time. And...the people who rescued me. I could feel them like they were right next to me.

And Link had been there...I wonder if he was having the same dream as I was?...I sighed and took a gulp of potion.

"What'cha doin'?"

I jumped and nearly dropped the bottle. Midna giggled from behind me and peered over my shoulder.

"What do you want?" I said, downing the rest of the potion and moving to the sink to rinse out the bottle.

"Just wanna know what the potion is for."

"I hurt myself."

She grinned. "Really, now? So you _are _as clumsy as I thought."

No, not clumsy, Midna. Just unable to beat back a man twice my size and who is way more powerful than I'll ever be. In my dreams, that is. I'm still not convinced that was real. It couldn't be.

...Right?

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I mumbled, walking back towards the lobby. Midna's mischivous eyes narrowed when I ignored her. She floated over in front of me, blocking my way. I sighed tiredly and rubbed at my temples, a headache coming on. "What is it now?"

"Let's take a walk." She said, folding her tiny arms and glaring at me suspiciously.

"I'm not in the mood for a walk."

"If you don't, you're not coming with us."

I looked up to meet her gaze and everything in me told me that she _would_ find a way to leave me behind. This is Midna, remember? She's the one who helped Link get into Princess Zelda's room without being caught. She's sneaky.

I sighed and turned around, heading for the back door instead. Might as well find out what she has to say. Even if I'm _really_ not in the mood for her.

But then again, will I ever be?

...Probably not.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach a quiet place where we wouldn't be seen. Midna, of course, hid in my shadow the entire time. The place she wanted to go? The graveyard.

Now I stood, freezing in only a nightgown, waiting to see what she'd dragged me here for.

"Are you gonna say something, pixie? Or can I go back?" I asked, shivering. It's bad enough that she's dragged me out here in the middle of the night in the cold, but now she's just floating there.

"Clumsy." She said, with her back turned towards me still.

"The name is Amanda, you stupid pixie!" I felt my anger bubble up inside of me, out of nowhere, like a ball. One that I could grab a hold of and use to my advantage. If only I knew how...

I shook my head. Where'd that thought come from? Probably just all that anxiety from my _very_ realistic dream.

"You're brave enough to insult me." Midna mused, floating up into the night air. "I think I like you, clumsy." A ball of energy formed in her hand. "Let's play a little game, shall we?"

A ring of blue flames surrounded us in a circle, closing any escape I had. Not that it mattered. I'd beat her at her game, whatever it may be. With my halberd, I couldn't lose. I wouldn't lost. Not twice in one night. But I didn't have it, did I? Yes. No. I held out my hand for it and it appeared in a flash of light. Now I did.

"Hmm...Interesting weapon you have there." The twilight shadow giggled. "But it's still not enough to best me!" She twirled and sent the ball flying at me.

I braced myself and ran at Midna, slicing the ball of energy in half and swinging the end blade at her. She disappeared in an instant and reappeared behind me.

"This is fun!" She used another blast of power to send me skidding back. Just as I was able to get to my feet, she sent another, stronger attack flying at me. I used the halberd to stop it, and it vanished after a few seconds.

This was becoming impossible. The stupid pixie was just toying with me now. I would not lose to her! I regained by balance and went straight for her, ducking as she shot two more attacks towards me. I swung back and hurled the halberd, striking her and sending her flying.

I stood over her, weapon raised. The fear in her eyes now made me realize that I had won. "I'm not so clumsy, now, am I?" I began to swing it downwards. Wait! What am I doing? I won already. Stop! I fought the overwhelming urge to finish it and dropped to my knees. Tears threatened to come as the adrenaline faded and the pain started to come.

I felt something tug my hair and drag me back. "Oww!" I yelled looking up and finding Midna with fists full of my hair. "What was that for?"

"Stop crying, clumsy." Midna said, letting go of me.

I caught myself as she dropped me. "I am not crying!" I snapped.

"I was only testing you to see if you weren't the wimp I saw earlier. You passed." She floated on her back now, eyes closed, as if in water. "Barely."

Standing up, I reached for my halberd. "Barely? I could've killed you!" I dusted off the dirt from my clothes and offered her a weak smile. "Sorry about that by the way. I don't know what came over me."

"I do."

"Really..."

"It's that weapon of yours."

"My halberd?" It glistened in the moonlight, and I could clearly see the carvings on it. "It's just a rusty old thing. How could it do anything?"

Midna floated over to the tombstones and sat, perched on it as she continued. "I'll agree with you that it looks like a big peace of scrap metal. But it's a unique piece of scrap metal. There's a power in it that I can sense, and if you don't learn how to control it, then you'll end up really hurting someone."

"M-me?" I squeaked. "I have power?"

"Not you. You have no abilities whatsoever. I meant the halberd you call yours is infused with an ancient magic."

I stood there stunned, and with a million more questions. How ancient is it? Who created it? And how the hell am I supposed to use it without chopping someone into little bits? Hmm...I wonder if I called her "Teacher Midna", she'd answer my questions...

Nah. Better not start anything tonight. Maybe tomorrow, though.

"Hmm...well. I'm going back. Are you coming, pixie?" I asked.

"Sure, clumsy."

I walked carefully down the dirt hill. "Can I ask you something, though?"

"No."

"Did you really drag me out here to test my skills?"

I glimpsed a knowing look in her eye before she turned to me with a toothy grin. "Sure. If I'd tested you during the day, hero boy might have protested. Now I know you're good enough to be a servant for me."

I nodded. "Oka—wait, what! I'm in _no_ way going to serve _you_!"

She ignored me and continued. "Not that I care either way, though! Eee hee hee! I'm sure I would've found _something_ for you to do!"

"Grr! Why you—!"

'Ah ah ah..." Midna scolded. "It's master now." She patted my head when we reached the steps of the inn. "Well, get a good night's sleep. You'll need your strength tomorrow! Well, what little you have!"

I stood there, fists clenched as she floated back upstairs and into the room. I kicked the nearest object and folded my arms. I. Hated. Her. It certainly was strange, though. The way she was acting. Like she knew something I didn't, or knew something I wasn't going to tell her.

..She knew. That stupid pixie knew something was out of place. Did she have a grip on what was going on, too? Midna certainly seemed to know more than she let on. Of course, so did I, but that's not the point. I'm trying to survive here, without sending this whole place into chaos.

There is something Midna had done for me, she'd made me forget all about my dream. Maybe she is good for something.

Just maybe.

Nah.

* * *

"Amanda." Maya shook my shoulders gently. "Mom wants us to help with breakfast."

The sun was shining too brightly into the room from the doorway. I reached down, eyes still closed, and pulled the covers over my head. "Mmph." I finally replied. (Translation: "It's too early in the morning.")

"It's almost eleven! How are you still tired?"

"Afghble." ("Because I am, that's why.")

I heard her sigh. "Mom's not gonna like this, you know..."

"She fif o nmp mff fa miff." ("She can go jump off a cliff.")

"Huh?"

"She fif o nmp mff a miff!"

I heard a foot tapping angrily on the other side of my bed. "I can go jump off a cliff, huh?"

"Not you, Maya." I sighed, frusturated, as I lifted my head. "Your mo-" Speaking of which, she was standing on the side of the bed I'd spoken to. Jillian didn't look happy, either. I wonder if I'd begged, she'd let me live? "Eheh..Y-you two sound alike. I didn't mean it...S-sorry, Jillian."

"You have twenty minutes to get dressed and be in that kitchen. I suggest you get moving _now_."

I slinked out from under the covers and grabbed a robe to put over my nightgown. If I was fast enough, I could get a quick dip in the hot springs before I needed to get back to the kitchen. Clothes, clothes...where'd I put my clothes last night? I just grabbed my whole bag and was out the door.

If you're wondering, yes, I'm scared of Jillian. I think _everyone_ is scared of Jillian.

Flinging open the inn's front doors, I nearly ran headfirst into Link and Hane. Correction. I bowled through them and hit the railing.

"Whoa, whoa, where are you going in such a hurry?" Link helped me straighten myself. He frowned as he glanced over me once. "Are you all right? You look a little..."

Am I that easy to read? Crap. "Uh...Can't talk! Gotta be in the kitchen in twenty!" I turned and continued my dash for the hot springs, leaping down the steps, my heart pounding in my chest as I ran. That was close. I need to be more careful from now on about hiding things.

Anyway!

It didn't take me long to find the hill that lead up to the small spring, though I was extra careful when I jumped from roof to roof. Another minute later and I dove into the warm, steaming water with a happy sigh. It melted all my worries away. Why is it that I've never been to a hot spring? Note to self: Find the nearest hot spring when I get home. If I get home.

At this point, nothing is a sure thing anymore.


	12. Different Views

**Chapter Twelve: Different Views**

It was a few hours later before I finally got to catch my breath. Amazingly I made it back to the kitchen within twenty minutes. So I'm not dead. Yet. But it might still happen. We still have a while before we leave for Ordon.

Luckily for Maya and I, Jillian has decided to make a small lunch by herself after Maya burned the eggs this morning—twice. I think she did it on purpose, the devil. She slipped out a while ago to take a walk with Hane before her mom goes on a rampage again. They're such a cute couple.

Talo's been given the task of village watchman by Renado, since there's been word that monsters are roaming the fields. The gates have been closed and locked, just in case. He's sitting up top of the tallest building and enjoying every minute of it. Colin is patrolling on foot. They're like a couple of mini-soldiers.

Malo has taken over the shop, much to Renado's surprise. You should've seen his face when the 4-year old asked to run it. The little guy is doing pretty well, too. Some of the adults around here are shocked that Renado would let a child run something like that. Of course, the rest of us know this is typical Malo behavior, so nothing to worry about.

Beth and Luda are chatting away by the spring. Beth has seemed to soften up a bit around Luda (course she is the daughter of a village leader, so that might be it), and the two seem to be becoming fast friends.

Link is probably off somewhere with Midna, being ordered around. I honestly don't know. He disappeared after breakfast.

And me? I'm enjoying the nice day where I don't have to do anything. I brought a chair outside and poured some fruit juice and am now relaxing in the warm weather.

Ahhh.

I started to hum a tune. It didn't start out as anything, but it turned into a Japanese song that I'd listen to frequently back home. I love music, in any language. I can't help it. And I'm going to be a music major in college when I start in the fall. At home, I'd randomly burst into song when I was working just because I could. I know, I'm weird like that.

"Amanda?"

Darn it. My peace is ruined. It was nice while it lasted.

I opened one eye lazily to find Link leaning on the railing in front of me. I uncrossed my legs and stretched as much as I could. "Hmm? What's the matter?"

"You sing pretty well." He said, with a smile. "Though I couldn't understand a word you said, it was pretty."

I blushed. "It's a language I'm learning back home. A-anyway..." Time to change the subject! "What did you need?"

"I'd like to get going here soon. We need to get a head start back to Ordon before it gets dark."

"Like...after lunch?"

"No...there's something I want to do after that. Maybe an hour or so after that."

"Oh...okay..." I stood and went to sit on the railing next to him. "So...what's this thing you have to do?"

He was silent. And not looking me in the eyes. Not a good sign. Since when does he do that? Answer? Never. He must be up to something. Let's see here...no Epona, so he could be going to look for her...Nah. That's too simple. He would tell me if it was about Epona. The kids are fine. The village is safe. What else needs to be taken care of here that I'm not remembering?...

Well, there's also the whole Goron issue, but he's not stupid enough to really take them on without those iron boots.

His face was unreadable, so I looked him square in the eyes instead. There was guilt in them. You know, like the kind your parents always can detect when you know you're not telling them you're doing something stupid?

Yeah, that kind.

"No." I said flatly, folding my arms.

"No...what?..." Link asked, honestly curious now.

"You are _not_ going to take on those Gorons." I frowned and put my hands on my hips. "Renado told you _not_ to. Do you understand the concept of the word no?"

He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the shadows, around to the back of the inn. "How did you figure that out? Did Midna tell you?"

"No, but you're pretty easy to read yourself."

A dark shadow grew out of the ground until it took the shape of Midna. "Looks like you're smarter than you look, clumsy." She said, leaning on Link's head. "But as I told hero boy here earlier, I don't want to go all the way back to that stuffy little village just to tell them that those kids are all right. It'll save time this way."

He pushed Midna off. "I'm only doing this because it makes sense, Amanda. We won't have to go back and forth. We will hurry though. I don't want to keep Rusl and the others waiting any longer than they have to."

I sighed. We'd be going back and forth either way, so I suppose there's no point in arguing anymore. Still, though...I didn't really want to watch Link fall off a cliff after a Goron comes barreling down the hill at him. I could volunteer to stay here, but that would be suspicious. I guess I'm going, too.

"I suppose..." I grumbled. "But I'm coming with you to make sure you don't kill yourself."

Link smiled. "Of course."

Midna gave us a look of disgust. "It sickens me how well you two get along." She sighed then gave us one of her toothy smiles. "Oh well. At least I have a dangerous volcano to look forward to later! Eee hee!"

I watched as she disappeared into the shadows again. "She scares me. Just a little bit."

"I suppose she'll take some getting used to." He replied. Just as I nodded and turned to go, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's going to be dangerous."

I smiled a little. "I'm up for new experiences. And besides, someone needs to make sure you don't kill yourself."

"Amanda...you know this is serious..."

"I know...Sorry. I guess...I'm just a little worried, that's all..."

"About what?..."

I sighed. "I–"

I didn't have a chance to answer before the back door of the inn flew open. It hit the wall with a loud bang. Jillian marched out and stood with her hands on her hips, much like I'd done a few moments earlier.

"Amanda!" She brushed back a few strands of her dark hair and resumed her stance. Jillian looks _mad_. I wonder if she thinks it was me that told Maya to ruin breakfast...She has had a long time to think about it, after all... "Why are you two making all that racket? I'm trying to work in here!"

"What are you talking about?" Link asked. "We're just standing here talking."

Her brow furrowed. "Don't you pull that with me! I clearly heard something out here. Since you're the only two around at the moment it has to be you!"

"Now, you wait just a minute, Jillian!" I cut in. "That's not fair! Maybe it's–" I felt a hand on my arm. I looked up to see Link watching something in the distance intently. I glanced over to where he was gazing, but there was nothing there. "What's the matter?"

"Shh..." He said. "That sound..."

What are these people hearing that I don't? I strained to listen. Silence. Except for the slight wind blowing now and people's voices in the distance, nothing. I waited a few more moments before I answered. "You mean the imaginary ones that Jillian is hearing?"

"Your ears may be useless, but mine... I hear hooves... and it's coming in fast!"

"Hooves?...Like a horse, you mean? And my ears aren't useless."

"Epona! HEY! It's those guys from before!"

Huh? Guys? Ohhh...he means the monsters. I grabbed for him as he lunged towards Epona. "Don't be stupid!" I cried, struggling to keep my hold on him, which wasn't even very strong to begin with. "Epona is going wild! You could get hurt!"

He stopped and stood still for a moment, then turned to me. "Amanda..."

"H-huh?"

"Do you trust me?" His blue eyes bore into my hazel ones.

"I—Yes..."

"I'm the only one who will be able to calm her. There's no other way to do this."

"If you say so...Just be care—ful." I stuttered as he dashed out into the mare's path before I could even finish my sentence.

What Link did next was incredible. The monsters leapt down from Epona and he drew his sword, taking them down in a single powerful slash.

"Good heavens..." Jillian breathed.

He jumped onto a rock and leapt onto Epona's back. She reared, almost knocking him off. At the last second, he grabbed the reins, and they were off. I saw the concentration in him as he held on for dear life, trying to control his horse. Even though he could've been thrown off any second, he somehow stayed on and managed to make it look easy!

"Cool..." Colin whispered from beside me. The other kids had gathered around now, too, and were whispering amongst themselves excitedly. Hmm...Maybe now is a good time to escape...

I slipped into the inn as the kids gathered around Link and started asking him a million questions. My side was especially hurting now and I needed to lie down for a while. The bedroom was empty when I reached it. I breathed a sigh of relief and shut the door behind me.

A mirror stood in the corner of the room. Maya and I had found it yesterday, buried under the rubble in the room. It was in pretty good condition, considering how badly the room had been destroyed. I untied the sash of my dress and slipped the purple garment off.

Carefully I lifted my shirt up a little to examine my side. There was a deep red line that went up my side, farther than I could see. It wasn't bleeding; on the contrary, it was healing. But I knew I'd have a scar there. And definitely some pain for a long while.

Stupid Ganondorf. Why does he have to butt in? It's not _my_ fault I'm stuck here.

I jumped when I heard a knock on the door. I quickly shoved down my white shirt and reached for the purple dress. "One second!" I pulled it on and tied the sash around my waist. "Come in!" I called, when I had finished.

I turned to see Link come in. His hair was a mess and he had dust on his clothes. Probably from riding Epona around. Poor guy. But he sure was cute.

I tried to hold back a laugh. "You all right?"

"See?" He said with a grin. "I told you I could do it."

"I believe you now." I replied, laughing outright now. "But you got a little messed up in the process."

"Huh?" He stood up and looked in the mirror. "Yikes."

I grinned and stood. "Here, let me help you." I stood on my tiptoes and helped flatten some of his wild hair. When I leaned over to reach the other side of his head, pain shot through my side like lightning and I doubled over, clutching my side.

Link dropped to his knees beside me. "Amanda? Are you all right?" He asked.

I took a deep breath and smiled up at him. "Y-yeah...I'm fine. Just a a little side pain. Probably haven't been drinking enough water." What? It was believable enough. It's hot in this village, what with it being beneath an active volcano and all.

He reached for a water pitcher beside the bed and poured some water for me. "Drink it. You'll feel better."

I just nodded and took the glass from him. Taking a few sips, I let out a sigh. "There, see? All better." Though I drank the rest of it, just because he was giving me a look that said, 'Drink it, or I'll make you.'

"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked, when I was finished. "You also seemed a little distracted earlier. Like something was on your mind..."

I sat there for a moment, considering. I _did _say I wasn't going to keep anything from him, but...how do you explain meeting Ganon in a nightmare when he barely knows anything about Zant? Meh. I'll keep the details sparse. "I just had a bad night of sleep, that's all. Nightmares."

"Are you sure that's all?"

Hmm...I wonder...There were two more people in that dream. Was one of them him? It had to be. I'm not quite sure who that silver-haired woman was, so I'm not going to worry about it for now. She was one of the ones who saved me after all.

Now. How to ask this without sounding suspicious...Oh. I know.

I turned and started folding the rest of my clothes. "Yes, I'm sure." I replied. "So, what about you? Did you sleep okay last night?"

"Yep. Once my head hit the pillow, I was out of it for the rest of the night."

Lucky. "No nightmares for you then, huh?"

"Nope."

I sighed. So much for that plan. I suppose it wasn't him then. But...there was only one Link, right? At least in this time period. So...what was going on, then? I reached for another piece of clothing.

Let's start with the woman, since that's a little less confusing. I've never seen anyone like her before. She was young, probably in her thirties or late twenties—too young to have silver hair like she did. And those crimson-colored eyes of hers were kind, and softened the sharp angles of her face. I only caught a glimpse of what she'd been wearing, but it was fitted closely to her body and was a strange design.

"Uh, Amanda..." Link interrupted.

I ignored him and continued. So...what Zelda character had those traits?...I'm pretty sure it wasn't anything from Twilight Princess. Wind Waker? Nope. It couldn't be Zelda. Any of them, from any game. Even as Shiek, she had blond hair. Who am I missing?...

"Amanda..."

There were those twin witches in Ocarina of Time, but I doubt it was them. They were short. This woman was pretty tall.

"Amanda...!"

Then there's that temple I was in. It was very familiar. The tall stone pillars, beautiful windows, and an altar at the front with a place for three stones from the various places in the country. And the door behind it—there was no mistaking that a sacred place lie behind stone. The song that I could only hear a whisper of proved it.

I gasped. No way. Then...if that was really the Temple of Time, then that woman was...the very same one that Impaz was named after. And then that Link was really the...

"_Amanda_!" Link grabbed my arm and whirled me around to face him.

I gazed up at him with new realization. "Oh my gosh..." I whispered.

"Hey! What are you two doing up here?"

We both jumped as the door flew open and Hane burst though it, a grin on his face. Maya walked in behind him, with a sigh of relief.

"We were worried when we couldn't find you two." She said, coming over and hugging me. "We thought you'd left without saying goodbye."

I shook my head and hugged her back. "No. We're not leaving just yet."

"Wow..." Hane whistled softy. "Who cleaned the room?"

"Huh?" I looked around me. The beds were made neatly; the clothes that were strewn about earlier, put away. And my stuff was packed and sitting on the bed.

"She did." Link said flatly. "I couldn't seem to stop her. It was like she was in her own little world."

I frowned. "Well, excuse me for _thinking_."

He scowled at me.

"Now, now..." Maya said, placing herself between us. "Let's not start something—"

"...What's going on up here?"

We all turned to see Jillian standing in the doorway. None of us spoke a word as we exchanged glances. Well, Link looked at Maya and Hane, anyway. He avoided looking at me. Jerk. I didn't even _do_ anything.

Jillian folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently on the wood floor. "I'm waiting."

Maya and Hane inched towards the door. I sent her a pleading look. Maya just waved and gave me a reassuring smile as she slipped out quietly.

"Nothing is going on, Jillian. " I said. "We were just talking, that's all."

"It is inappropriate for a young man and a young woman to be alone in a room like this. I know you're from another world, Amanda, but honestly..."

What? Now suddenly this is my fault, too? I wasn't _doing_ anything! I was across the room from him. I just came up here for some peace and quiet. _He's _the one who came up here.

He didn't say anything in my defense as he turned and went to his bed to lie down.

I knew we were both just frustrated and tired and this fight was pointless and stupid, but I felt like I'd been the target of everyone's irritation today. And it stung.

I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes, and I tried to hold them back as best as I could, losing all resolve to fight back. "Sorry, Jillian. It won't happen again." I said. "I'm gonna go take a walk." We both needed to cool off before we said anything else, anyway. My feet began to move backwards and I slipped out of the room, pulling the door shut a little.

I went outside to sit on the porch. Luckily, there was no one there at the moment. I sighed as I leaned on the railing. The heat was dying down and a nice breeze came through, blowing the hair that had loosened from my ponytail.

We were wasting what was left of the day being angry with each other, but I wasn't really too disappointed about not heading up the mountain. He needed the boots. The mayor had shown them to me the day we were to leave. They'd looked pretty impressive and he'd worn them like they were plain old shoes.

I didn't know how to tell him he needed them, though, without tipping him off that I knew things I shouldn't.

Unless...

The village wasn't far (thankfully). I could probably get there and back by the next morning if I left now. The mayor wouldn't suspect a thing if I asked for them. He'd probably let me have them in an instant if he knew what he wanted to do.

That settled it. I'd go and come back as quickly as possible. I'd need a few things, though.

I'll hide and wait until they're all out of the room before I sneak back up there. I'll need my stuff.

I quietly went down the stairs and in a closet underneath it. I made sure the door would still open from the inside before I shut it completely. A few minutes later, I heard two pairs of footsteps on the stairs. I waited until they were far away before I slipped back out and climbed the stairs again.

My pack was still sitting on my bed where I left it. I slung it over my shoulder and peered out into the hallway. No one was coming. As quietly as I could, I made my way to the front door. As I reached for the door handle, it turned and opened to reveal Beth and Luda.

I froze.

Beth gave me an odd look. "Where are you going, outsider?"

I managed a smile. "Just for a walk." I answered. "Don't tell anyone where I went, okay? I'd like to be alone." I hid my bag behind my back as I walked around them.

"You're strange." The young girl mumbled. "Whatever."

She shut the door and I was left in the quiet of the afternoon. I stepped down the stairs and ran down the path. The path stretched out before me and it seemed daunting. But if I ran long enough, I figured I could get enough of a head start in case anyone decided to come look for me.

Not like it mattered. I had my mind set and that was the end of it. If things didn't go the way they were supposed to, and something happened, it would be my fault.

I was going to make sure it stayed the same.


	13. Runaway

**Chapter Thirteen: Runaway**

I don't know how I got there, but some way or another, I managed to make it to the gate without being noticed. The gate which I'd forgotten was locked. Oh well. I'd done a lot of fence and gate climbing in my childhood. Not to mention trees. This would be a piece of cake.

My heart pounded in my chest wildly. The thought of being caught any second had me on edge. I stepped onto a tall rock and slipped my foot onto the highest part of the fence, where I could swing my leg over. Hoisting myself up carefully, I swung my leg over in one motion, and balanced on the other side. I jumped the rest of the way to the ground.

"Now...how to do this..." I mumbled to myself as I continued walking. It was all downhill from Kakariko, with no really good hiding places until the other side of the canyon. And it was two or three good miles until I reached it.

Why, oh why did they have to make Hyrule bigger? I would've been happy with the smaller Hyrule that was in Ocarina of Time...

Of course, I'm sure in reality that's pretty big, too.

Anyway. Back to my little adventure.

I gasped for air as I jogged the first mile or so, my side beginning to ache. Why was I doing this again? My nightmares from last night flashed in my mind. Right. Things were changing. They needed to stay the same, and I needed to be the one to keep it that way. Okay. Slow down, Amanda. You're not going to last all the way to Ordon if you keep breathing like this.

I slowed down my breathing and took deeper breaths instead. The ache faded, and I relaxed. Not for long, though.

I felt a jolt go through me when I heard my name being called in the distance. Boy, they're fast! Beth must've tattled. I could tell it was way back in the village, but that didn't give me much time to find a good hiding spot, either way.

Guess I'd better run, then. It was only another mile or so until I reached the canyon now. I've run a mile in eight minutes and twenty seconds before. Now's my chance to beat that time. It was all downhill, so it shouldn't be that hard.

The sky began to darken as clouds rolled in. So much for the sun that was out earlier.

I began running as fast as I could, listening carefully for any signs that they might be coming after me. I quickened my pace even more. The ground pounded under my feet, my heart drumming in my ears. I ignored all the monsters around. I wasn't in the mood to deal with them (actually, I'd accidentally forgotten my halberd in the village, but that didn't matter now). I didn't have time to spare.

A few bublins ran after me for a bit, but they gave up the chase when I got too far away.

The canyon's bridge creaked under my boots as I ran across it. The sound of hooves now in the distance gave me an extra push that I needed. I rounded the hill and paused for a moment to catch my breath. I couldn't hide until he was closer because then he couldn't see me on the hill.

Suddenly, it was quiet. I frowned. Where'd he go? He couldn't have disappeared...I peered around the corner to find Epona right there, and Link with her.

"Amanda..." He started.

I didn't even pause to listen. I frowned, and turned to jog away. How did he get here so fast? It just wasn't possible. Wait. Yes it was. He was on horseback while I was on foot.

Why didn't I think of that _before_ I left the village? I should've just hidden until they gave up looking for me. It would have saved me a lot of running.

"Amanda! Stop!" He cried. I heard Epona galloping behind me.

I didn't turn to look back, because I didn't want to hear what he had to say. I already knew he'd drag me back to the village and I'd have no way to get those boots. I also was still pretty hurt from before and didn't really feel like talking. Yes, I was being petty, but I didn't care right at that moment.

I wasn't feeling too great, either. I hadn't ever since that nightmare the night before. It'd seemed to be getting worse throughout the day, but I'd brushed it off as heat and lack of sleep.

Thunder shook the air around us as the sky darkened further. The wind picked up again, and I shivered. It was getting cold.

He called out to me again. "Amanda, would you stop so we can talk?"

I glanced ahead and noticed I was getting to the end of the enclosed path and out into open field again. But there were Bublins blocking my way.

"Guh. I'm not in the mood for you. Out of my way!" I snapped running right for them.

They just snarled at me as I brushed through them, intending to just lose them behind me like the others. A second later I felt an exploding pain in my side and I fell to the ground. I slid down the hill, and into the nearby pool pond.

The monsters stood over me, clubs at ready. I rolled out of the way, just as they came down, splashing water. Thunder roared again, and I felt drops on my forehead.

"Great..." I muttered, as I got up. The world seemed to spin for a moment before I got my footing. "Just what I need..."

One of the Bublins advanced towards me, and I grabbed a nearby stick. It wasn't much, but it was all I had. I didn't exactly know how to get my halberd like I did that night with Midna. It'd kind of just happened.

"Move, Amanda!" I heard a voice yell, shaking me from my thoughts.

I didn't question the voice as I ran for cover under the nearby bridge. I watched as a sword ripped trough the two Bublins almost at the same time. Or was it more than that? I couldn't seem to tell.

I watched as Link jumped off his horse and finished the two monsters in one swift movement. He looked over in my direction and sheathed his sword. Worry was etched on his face as he walked towards me.

No, I can't be caught. Not like this. I climbed under the bridge's support beams and put as much distance between us as I could.

"Are you all right?" Link asked, as he climbed through them and advanced towards me.

"I'm fine." I said. "Now go back to Kakariko."

"Not without you. And not until I know what's wrong. Something has been bothering you all day."

I backed away against the cliff, trying not to look at him, because if I did, he'd know he was right and I'd never get those boots for him. "N-no, I—"

"Amanda...! You're bleeding!"

Huh? Well that was unexpected. I moved my head slightly to look up at him, and then back down at my side. The side of my dress was soaked with blood. ...It...It must've been from the swing of that bublin's club a few minutes ago. I gasped as pain began to sink in and the adrenaline faded. I _had_ to be hit on the side that was injured already.

"Must've...been from that...hit I took...from the Bublin..." I said, through clenched teeth as I grasped my side. Pain exploded through me and I fell against the beam behind me.

"We've got to get some help." He said, reaching for me.

"N-no..." I backed away further. "I'm fine..."

"This isn't the time to be stubborn!"

"Wh-what...?" I couldn't finish my sentence, let alone get out another word. The world around me was spinning wildly and my side hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before.

I blacked out before I could hear what he said next.

* * *

My head was pounding in pain. It was hot now, and every breath I took was agony. I couldn't tell where I was anymore, but there must've been more people, because someone was holding me down.

"L-Let go of me!" I struggled, but it was no use. I had absolutely no strength.

"It's all right. We won't hurt you, Amanda."

I gazed up to see the outline of something over me, but it didn't look like a person at all. Was Ganondorf back? What'd happened when I'd fainted? Who was keeping me here?

I pulled against the person restraining me as hard as I could. "Let go of me! Please!" Tears ran down my cheeks. "I just want to go home! Please!"

I felt more pain in my side as something was tied around me. After a few minutes, I gave up, too tired to protest anymore.

I let myself fall back into the darkness again, wondering if I would even wake up at all.

When I awoke again, it was quiet, and the pain in my side had subsided to a dull ache. There was something tight wound around me, but I wasn't restrained anymore.

"Good, she's awake." I heard a voice say.

"We should give her the medicine now." A woman's voice replied. I heard a rustling nearby, then I could feel someone over me. I opened my eyes, but the room was still spinning. I forced them shut again. "Just relax, Amanda. I need you to take this. It'll make you better."

I didn't care what it was, but I didn't have a choice, either. A cool liquid was forced into my mouth, followed by another, more awful tasting one, that could've been a potion. But I wasn't sure. After I swallowed it, I laid back deeper into whatever I was laying on, trying to sleep.

But I couldn't. Those people kept rousing me every few hours, forcing more of the bitter liquids down my throat.

I finally managed to fall sleep several hours later.

* * *

It was still dark. Was I dead? No...I can't be. It's warm. And I'm lying on something soft. There was a crackling sound some distance away and I could hear soft voices, too. They sounded worried, whoever they were. I tried to move, but my body felt heavy.

I opened my eyes slowly. I found myself staring at a wood floor just above me. A warm glow was cast on it, contrasting to the dreary colors coming from outside. I carefully placed my hands on either side of me and pushed myself up.

There was a chair next to the bed I was in. Outside, rain pounded against the window and the skies were black with storm clouds. I could barely see anything, save for maybe five feet in front of me. Looking the other way, I could see I was on the second floor of a house. The floor above me must be that lookout place.

I could tell now that I was back in Ordon Village. More specifically, in Link's house.

"Oh, so you're finally awake."

I glanced down just in time to see a shadow float up out of the floor.

"I...Yeah, I suppose so..." I replied slowly. "What happened?"

Midna floated over to the end of the bed and sat. "Hmm...where should I begin? The part where you went missing? Or the part where you almost killed yourself?"

"_All _of it, Midna."

"Oooo. She used my real name. How lucky am I?" Midna taunted. "Don't snap at me, clumsy. You're the one who ran away in the first place." She tapped her chin, thinking. "Hmm...well...let's see now...where to begin. Oh, I know! Here's the short version. Those humans discovered you were missing and they all panicked. They sent out people to search for you, hero boy found you before you bled to death, and you've been resting here ever since. Oh, and you've also been sick. I think that about sums it up."

"I've been...sick?..."

"Yeah...something about a wound of yours getting infected with a poison or something...I didn't really pay attention, since...well...I didn't care! Eee hee!"

"Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome! Now if you'll excuse me, there's someone coming! Later, clumsy! Eee hee!" She jumped off the bed and dove into the shadows on the floor.

A moment later, Rusl appeared on the ladder. His face relaxed a bit when he saw me sitting up and awake.

He smiled a little. "Amanda. It's good to see you awake. We were all worried you'd never recover."

"What happened, Rusl? I don't remember much at all from these past few days..."

He sat down in the chair next to my bed. "Where should I begin?"

He spent the next hour telling me about all that went on those past several days. After I'd fainted, it'd started raining and storming heavily. Link had gotten me back to Ordon as quick as he could, but by then, I had a fever of about 105 degrees, and I'd lost a ton of blood from the side wound.

He'd brought me inside and went to get Rusl, Uli, and Mayor Bo's help. Uli changed me into dry clothes, and then Rusl and Mayor Bo had helped stop the bleeding in my side. Then I was given strong medicine every few hours, plus a small dose of Red Potion. I'd been asleep for most of it, but I remember some parts of what he told me. Especially the taste of that awful medicine. I'm never taking _that_ again if I can help it.

"Where's Link?" I asked, looking around the room.

Rusl sighed. "He's been at Mayor Bo's for the past couple of days. Uli and I have been taking turns here with you."

"Is something wrong with him?" I asked, clutching the covers. "Is hurt, too?"

"No, no...nothing like that. I think he's just beating himself up over what's happened."

"But...why? It's not his fault at all."

The swordsman stood slowly. "I'm sure that's not what he believes."

I threw back the covers and slid my feet over the side of the bed. I still felt really weak and dizzy, but I managed to stay upright "I'm going to go over there to talk to him. He needs to get that stupid idea out of his head."

Rusl placed a gentle, but firm hand on my shoulder to keep me down. "Not tonight, you're not. You need to rest. Maybe you two can talk tomorrow if you're feeling better."

I gently brushed his hand away and slipped the shoes on that were at the foot of the bed.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I turned and got onto the ladder. "Sorry, Rusl." I moved down the steps carefully. "I need to do this tonight."

"Amanda!"

I jumped off the second to last rung and moved towards the front door. Uli was sleeping in the corner on a mattress. I carefully opened it and slipped out without making a sound. Rusl was climbing down the ladder now, too. The outside ladder was slippery, but I managed to make it to the ground without falling.

Once my feet touched the ground, I was off down the path to the village. The rain was falling hard, the icy drops stinging my skin. But I wasn't cold. My lingering fever was more than enough to keep me warm as I stomped through the mud and puddles.

How could he think it was his fault? It was mine! I knew I should've found a way to tell him, but I was dumb enough to leave by myself. I was not going to let him blame himself for me doing something stupid.

I was going to set him straight right _now_.

I was soaking wet by the time I reached Mayor Bo's house. I reached for the handle and threw the front door open.

Link and Mayor Bo were sitting at the table. Or well, they used to be. They both jumped when the door hit the wall with a loud _bang._

"Amanda..." Link looked stunned to see me standing in the doorway. "Wh-what are you doing out of bed?" I just stood there and glared at him, arms folded, water dripping from my clothes and hair. He stared right back at me. "Mayor Bo, would you give us a minute?" He asked, not taking his eyes from me.

"O-of course." The Mayor stood. "I-I'll just be down the hall..." He slinked off, watching me every second, as if I was going to come after him. He raced down the hall when he was far enough away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Link cried, frowning at me. "Your health hasn't returned yet! You could've died, and you're just–!"

"Me?" I snapped, my fury rising even higher than my fever. "You were the one prancing around the village that day talking about how you were going to try to climb that mountain! You want to talk about death, then let's talk about your stupid idea!"

He was furious now, too. "Don't you even go there. You know I had to do it, Amanda. You didn't have to come."

"I wanted to, but I wasn't about to watch you get killed!"

"So you just ran away, then?"

"No, I was coming back here to ask the Mayor for something for you. That way you'd be able to even stand a chance against those things, you jerk!" There. I'd said it. I guess it wasn't so difficult to explain, after all. But then again, I hadn't exactly been thinking straight that day.

"You mean these, don't you, Amanda?"

We both turned to see the Mayor standing there and holding a pair of boots with a sturdy iron plating.

"Yeah...I remembered them from before."

He nodded. "She's right. You should take these with you. Especially if you're going where you say." He turned to go back down the hallway. "Finish talking. I'll be down the hall if you need me."

The things I'd said seemed to have struck a nerve in him. Link had quieted and lowered his head, his hair covering his eyes. I couldn't see his expression, but his fists were clenched so tightly that if he weren't wearing gauntlets, then his nails would leave marks in his skin.

I blinked slowly. "L-Link?..."

Without warning, he brought a fist up and I backed away. He pounded it into the wall beside my head, just centimeters away. "I couldn't look at you...You were so sick...And I couldn't do anything to save you..."

I held my breath, waiting for him to continue.

"...Why didn't you tell me?"

I had no excuse for that. "I..."

"You know...Midna says I'm some chosen hero...but...how could I save her world or this one..." Link looked up at me now, eyes full of pain. My heart wrenched at the hurt in his expression. "...If I can't even save the people right in front of me?...If I can't be smarter about things like this and stop them in the first place?"

I felt tears sting the corners of my eyes, just like the day I'd left Kakariko. But this time, I couldn't stop them from falling. "This is..."

"Don't even say it's your fault."

"But it is...I should've told you...But I didn't think you'd listen to me...You were so set on going...It almost felt like you wouldn't trust me if I'd told you."

He tipped my chin up so I was looking at him. "That couldn't be farther from the truth." Link said, voice strong and sure now.

"...I'm sorry...I..."

"Amanda." He interrupted quietly. "When I told you I trusted you, that was the absolute truth. ...Even if you don't believe anyone else...at least believe me..."

There was a moment of silence before I nodded. I couldn't get any words out. If I did manage it, I would've started sobbing, and I really didn't want to do that. Link just hugged me close, and I let him, shivering. I was too tired to push him away.

"There's something else, isn't there? You were worried about something the day you left. What in all of Hyrule has got you so frightened?" He whispered into my hair. "I promise I wouldn't let anything hurt you..."

I shook my head again. "This is one thing...you can't protect me from..."

He pulled away and looked down at me. "It couldn't be...how you were poisoned, could it?..." I just avoided his gaze. "Amanda...tell me...please..."

"It's that nightmare I had. Something...tried to kill me. I...I'm not even sure myself if it was real or not..."

He frowned, getting that dangerous look on his face again. "Who was it?"

I kept my eyes averted from his. I couldn't tell him the truth. It would mess up the entire game; more than it already was. "I...I don't know...but...someone or something saved me from him..."

"Someone...saved you?"

"I think it was two people...but...I didn't see their faces before I woke up..."

He smiled a little now, still leaning over me. "I'll have to thank them if I ever meet them. Who knows what I would've done without you?..."

"You just don't want to be alone with Midna the whole time."

"There's that, too."

There was a creaking from down the hall and Mayor Bo appeared in the doorway again a minute later. "Is everything okay here?"

We exchanged looks and I nodded. "Yep. We're just fine."

"Good. Than can someone make something to eat?...I'm starving..." The Mayor looked pitiful as his stomach growled.

I managed a grin. "Don't worry. I'll do it, Mayor Bo."

"No, you won't. You're going to go dry off and sit down." Link said sharply.

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"You can't make me." I knew it was a childish response, but I didn't care.

"Wanna bet?"

"Yes."

He moved towards me menacingly.

Ha.

What was he gonna do to me that I haven't already had done to me since I got here?


	14. Mistaken Identity

**Chapter Fourteen: Mistaken Identity**

"You know, this isn't funny."

Link glanced over his shoulder at me and grinned. "Oh, I think it's hilarious."

I tugged at my bonds that kept me to the kitchen chair. They were loose enough for me not to be uncomfortable, but still tight enough to keep me to the chair. Apparently there was something he could do to me. Evil ranch hand. He's gonna get it when I get out of this.

If he ever lets me out of it, that is. Which he very well ignore doing if he wanted. But he won't. He's not that mean. I think.

"Since when is tying an innocent, sick girl to a chair funny?" I asked, still tugging on the ropes.

He shrugged and continued his cooking. "First of all, you're not the least bit innocent. You tried to tie me down first."

Yeah, I know. And I was so close, too. "You had the advantage, though. You're stronger than me."

"I know. And that's why I ended up free and you didn't."

I wisely chose not to respond to that. "And what's the second thing?"

He brought the food to the table and came behind me, working on the ropes that held my hands. I breathed a sigh of relief when they were free. He came around and bent down, looking me square in the eyes.

"Wh-what? I asked.

Link placed a cool hand to my forehead. "The second thing is...you _are_ still sick. You need rest before we leave for Kakariko again."

Kakariko. Now there's a place I'm not looking forward to going back to again. I'm really going to hear it from Jillian. And everyone else probably, too.

"Stop it."

I glanced back up at him. "Stop what?"

"I know what you're thinking, Amanda. Jillian was really worried about you. And so was everyone else."

"Really?"

"I promise you she wasn't mad." He straightened and sat in his own chair now. "I've sent a message ahead to Kakariko, letting everyone know what's happened. That way they can relax."

I reached for a fork and took a bite of food. I didn't realize how hungry I'd been up until now. "So when can we leave, then?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask Rusl. He's dealt with illnesses like this before."

"What, so he's a doctor now, too?"

"No, but he's had experience with these kinds of wounds. It's helpful knowledge, though we don't use it much here."

Well, I'd certainly hope not. Unless one of the villagers was a crazy madman or something, I suppose there wasn't much use for it here. But in my case, I'm lucky that he knew anything at all. I'll have to thank Rusl tomorrow. As long as he doesn't shoot me or something for running out in the rain and risking my newly somewhat restored health.

What can I say? I'm stubborn. When I get an idea in my head to do something, I'll stick to it.

There was a knock at the door. Mayor Bo came from down the hall, a towel in his hands. "I'll get it." He said, reaching to open it.

I turned back to the food and took my first bite. Yum, it was good. He was a great cook, even though he tried to duck out of it most of the time.

"Oh, Rusl." I heard the Mayor say. "Come to check up on Amanda?"

Rusl's voice didn't sound irritated as I thought, but worried. "So_ that's_ where she is. I've been searching all over Ordon for her."

Link frowned at me. "You left without telling him?"

"It was more like I ran. Fast. And he knew." I said. I sighed and glanced back up at them. "Besides, I was mad at you. I couldn't think straight."

"I think that was more the illness, than you, Amanda." Rusl said, wringing the rainwater out of his clothes.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was all her." Link mumbled.

Mean.

"_Anyway_..." I said, glaring at the swordsman. "I'm fine, Rusl. Really. I yelled at him and I feel better now."

Rusl came over and pulled out the chair next to me, sitting down. "You may feel better now, but you still need to take it easy for a while." He gave me a look that said "or else".

"I understand." I said, with a heavier sigh now, pushing my food around on the plate.

"Now, where's this food I could smell from outside?"

I propped my head on my fist and continued playing with my food, taking small bites every so often. And I tuned out the men's conversation. Normally, I'd join in, but tonight I just wasn't in the mood. My mind was still stuck on the events of the past couple of days.

The whole Ganondorf thing still bugged me. Not so much the other people anymore. I was pretty sure I had that all figured out. But what was Ganon doing in the past? It didn't make any sense. How would he even get there, let alone drag me with him?

If he'd done it before, he could do it again, for sure. Which meant I wasn't safe here anymore.

Suddenly, I'd lost my appetite.

"Amanda? Are you all right?" Rusl asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

I managed a small smile. "I'm fine. Just tired, that's all." I stood and pushed the chair back. "I'm going to bed."

The thought of actually sleeping made me shiver. I don't want to go back to that place again, as amazing looking as it was. I'll just have to fake it for now. I can make up the sleep some other time. Or something. I'll figure this out somehow.

The windows on the second floor were slightly open, and a calming breeze drifted in, though it did nothing for my frazzled nerves. I shut and locked the window tightly and slid into bed, facing towards the staircase.

A few moments later, I heard footsteps on the stairs, but they paused at the top.

The words escaped my lips before I could stop them. "I'm scared." I whispered.

"Amanda..." Link brought a chair over and sat next to the bed, but he was quiet after that, unsure of what he should say.

"I know I won't survive without sleep. I need to get better and it's the only way. I'm just saying..."

"I know." He reached for one of my hands, forcing me to face him. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

"But you can't be comfortable like that...I wouldn't want to—"

Link got up, cutting me off. He picked up the chair easily and went to set it back where he'd found it. He then scooted the cot I'd used when I was here last, over next to the bed.

"There." He said with a smile. "Problem solved."

"But—"

"I'm staying with you and that's the end of it."

I sighed. "You know, you can be just as stubborn as me."

He just shook his head. "Never as much as you."

Well, maybe not, but still. I could tell I was in for an interesting experience here. Not that I wouldn't rather be home where it was safe, of course. But the people here had been so kind already...I was beginning to feel a little more comfortable. And tired.

"Goodnight, Amanda." Link said, when he noticed me drifting off.

"Night." I yawned and nestled into my pillow. Maybe if Link was here, I'd sleep okay. My eyes slid shut and I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Amanda, get up."

I groaned and rolled over. "No. Unless there's a fire, a flood, or some other disaster, I'm not budging."

"This is really important."

I sighed and sat up, frowning. "What could possibly be so important that you need to wake me up five minutes after I...fall asleep..." I had to keep my mouth from falling open. Looking down, there was no bed under me. Just the cold stone floor of a familiar temple. Oh boy. This isn't good.

Link watched me as I stared around in disbelief. "Is this the place you were talking about?"

"Yeah..." I stood slowly, my nightgown brushing my heels softly. Peering out from behind a pillar, I didn't see anyone, but that was the case last time, too. "But I doesn't seem like anyone is here."

He took my hand gently, drawing his sword with the other. Whoa. Where'd that come from? Does he sleep with it now? "Stay close to me. I won't let anything hurt you this time. If that man shows up again, then I want you to run."

"Are you kidding? I'm not leaving without you. He could kill you!"

"Maybe...but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you never made it home."

I saw the genuine concern in his eyes and nodded. "I understand...But I'm still not leaving without you."

He sighed. "You are undoubtedly the most hard-headed woman I've ever met."

"And you're exactly the same. Get used to it."

We stepped out from the shadows onto the thick red carpet. The Temple of Time looked exactly the same as before. No sounds, except our own footsteps and the faint hum of the Song of Time on the wind.

...Wait just one second...wind?...There hadn't been any fresh air last time. In fact, the air had been humid. I looked up at the windows. One of the large crystal windows was wide open. At my last visit, they'd all been shut.

I stopped and tugged on Link's hand to get his attention. "Link...hang on a second."

"What is it?" He asked.

"...There's something very wrong here..." I said quietly. "This place isn't as daunting and scary as before, but something still isn't quite right. And I don't like it one bit."

He started to nod, then he froze and grabbed my arm, yanking me out of the way. An arrow whizzed by and lodged itself in the ground, inches away from where we were standing.

A voice rang out from the open window. "Give the girl to me and you won't get hurt."

My heart began to race. That voice...it had to be...it was too familiar... "It's him..." I whispered from behind. "He's come back..."

A figure dwelled in the shadows of the open window, creeping along quietly and watching our every move. I thought it odd that I couldn't see a face, until it registered in my mind that he was wearing a dark cloak.

"Hmm... Hiding behind your "hero", are you? How... charming." I heard him chuckle in disgust, but it didn't seem directed towards me. "I'll say it once again. Give the girl to me."

Give? To him? Since when did I become an object? Ooo...he was going to get it. When I could reach him, that is. "I'm not going anywhere with you, you coward! You're the one hiding in the shadows and not fighting fair! Why should I go anywhere with you?"

"Oh, this? My apologies...but I'm afraid that's not necessary at this moment."

"Amanda!" I heard the creak of wood from up in the window and the next thing I knew, Link pushed me roughly to the ground as another arrow whipped by, even closer this time.

I looked up and saw the streak of crimson across the swordsman's ear. The arrow hit after all. "Link! Are you all right?" I reached up and touched the wound gently.

He flinched a little. " Y-yeah... Just a scratch..."

We both turned to look as the mysterious man clapped a gloved hand against the wrist that supported his bow. "Impressive, as usual!" Usual? What the heck was he talking about? "But this time, I'm afraid that luck of yours..." He drew another arrow and aimed it straight at Link's chest, "... won't last."

Without another thought, I threw myself over his chest. "No!"

The man in the shadows gave a grunt of surprise. He wasn't expecting me to protect him, apparently. But why? It's as if...he believes he protecting me or something...No sooner had that thought surfaced, that I noticed the arrow coming straight for me. I waited for it to hit.

But it never came.

Wait. It couldn't have disappeared.

"Stupid!"

_Clank._

I opened my eyes. Link's arm was around me, his Ordon shield extended to block the hit.

"I'm not...stupid...You're the idiot!" I reached up and pinched him.

"Oww! Hey!"

"I told you, I'm not leaving without you! And I don't mean dead!"

"Kuhh..." He rubbed the cheek I'd pinched. "Either way, we're in danger...you're in danger out in the open like this..." Link held up the shield as more arrows rained down on it. "I have to take the fight to him! Understand?" He eyed one of the pillars that was a few feet away.

"But–"

"Don't argue with me, Amanda! He's going to be aiming for you the second I take a step away from you!" He lowered his shield as he spoke and it only took a second for the mysterious man to load another arrow and shoot. It dug into Link's right arm; the arm he used for his shield, rendering it useless. He cried out in pain and clutched it tightly.

"Link!" I cried. I couldn't let this go on any longer...I had to get this man out in the open somehow! But the only way to do that was...I stepped a little closer to the winder. "Stop it! It's me you want, right? Then come and get me! Just stop hurting him!"

I swear I could feel the hesitation from the man as he answered. "I'm sorry...this has gone on too long. Farewell."

I moved back towards Link. He had a determined look on his face that said he wasn't going to give up fighting just yet. Idiot. How much longer could he go on like this? I heard another shot being drawn, and everything after that was a blur.

The next thing I knew, I heard the clang of another blocked shot and Link was up and running towards the window. A rustling came from above and the cloaked man came down in front of him, his own sword drawn. They met in a flash of sparks.

"Are you crazy?" I yelled at him. Neither of the men seemed to notice my cries as they met each other blow for blow. It was an impressive fight, that was for sure. Rusl had trained Link very well. But it was becoming increasingly clear by each second that the cloaked man had more experience. Especially with Link's bad arm.

Still...wow. Wait...

"Wait! Your arm, you dummy!"

I gasped as the man's blade came crashing down upon Link. He managed to bring his own sword up in time, but his face was filled with the pain as he tried to push him back. But it wasn't enough this time. He let up and the man was able to slide his sword underneath and flip it across the temple.

"Augh!"

I didn't want to look now, but I had to. The cloaked man's sword was dangerously skimming across Link's neck, as if he was toying with him. Link couldn't do a thing but lay there, now, unarmed. It couldn't end like this! If this man thought he was saving me, then he'd surely finish this fight. I had to do something!

I crept silently into the shadows of the giant pillars, looking for something...anything...that would help us escape this nightmare. My eyes landed on a pile of old stones. It looked like a part of the wall had been recently replaced, and the old parts just now lay there, waiting to be taken away. I picked one up and tucked it under my arm. This'll work well enough for now.

As I crept closer, I could hear the man talking to Link. I strained to hear what they were saying.

"...—taking her this time."

"What in all of Hyrule are you talking about?" He was frowning.

Yeah. I'm kinda wondering that myself. Especially since I just missed most of the conversation.

But he just stared back at him, sword as steady as ever. "I'd put that down if I were you..." He said quietly, even gently now. "If you really want to save this copy, that is..." He clutched his sword even tighter now, ready to move if I did.

Copy? What the hell is he talking about?

I dropped the stone immediately. I had no doubts this man was a man of his word. "I..."

Link glanced up at me, his voice barely a whisper. "Amanda..."

Before I could say anything, the cloaked man kicked Link square in the stomach. He sheathed his sword and sighed. "Don't make me hurt you more. This woman obviously cares for you. Though I don't see why, I do not want to go against her wishes."

I head back tears now. "What do you want? Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"What are you talking about?" He came closer to me and I backed away two steps for every one he took. "I—"

I felt the temple's stone wall behind me. There was nowhere to go now. He reached for my hand and I flinched at his touch. It was gentle and somehow familiar, but I still didn't trust it.

The sound of metal scraping against stone caught both of our attentions. Link struggled to stand now, his sword back in hand. The cloaked man grabbed me and I resisted. No way was I going with him now. I wasn't going to give up.

"Stop fighting me. I'm not going to hurt you." The man said, struggling to keep his grip on me.

"Oh, yeah? Then what's that?" I asked, stopping for a moment to gesture over my shoulder. He looked away for a millisecond and I stomped on his foot, hard. The moment his grip loosened on my hands, I wrenched them away and elbowed him in the gut sharply.

I moved away quickly as Link came charging at him. The man whipped out his sword from under his cloak and met the blow easily. Too easily. Link was getting weaker by the second. Flashes of my own illness came to me and I cried out. "Stop it!"

The man blocked the attack and pushed him back. "Drop the sword." He ordered. Link hesitated, his eyes meeting mine. "_Now_. Or I will kill you." I plead with him silently to do as he was told. He did, finally, his eyes not leaving the man's.

"Please..." I whispered from behind him. "Let me go to him...Just for a minute..."

His hooded face turned to me, hesitating, but he finally nodded, keeping a tight grip on his sword.

I rushed past him, kneeling down next to him and taking his arm to get a closer look at it. "Your arm...It's bleeding really badly. We should get someone to look at it."

"I don't think that's an option right now. But it's okay...It doesn't hurt that bad." That was far from the truth. He was in a lot of pain and maybe a worse liar than I was. His dark blue eyes gave everything away. "I'm more worried about you. You're really pale all of a sudden."

"I..." Tears threatened to come at his genuine concern over me, but I couldn't seem to cry. I was getting dizzy. The darkness flooded my vision. Suddenly. And I let it, falling into his arms.

More than anything, I wanted to escape from this nightmare.

It was all just too much.

* * *

A bird woke me this time as it warbled a tune somewhere nearby.

Where was I now?...I reached down and patted beneath me. The blankets felt soft underneath my fingers. Ah, thank goodness. We're back to reality. I stretched and pulled the covers higher up to block out the sunlight pouring in from Ilia's windows.

I heard footsteps padding quietly towards the window, and the squeak of it as it was opened. A warm breeze drifted into the room, as well as people's voices that I didn't recognize. Must've been one of the villagers I hadn't really spoken with much.

Rolling over, I pulled my pillow to my chest and hugged it. "Mmm...Link? Shut the window would you? I'm pretty sensitive to noise right now."

There was a slight pause, then a woman's small voice answered. "Begging your pardon, miss, but you need to get up. You've been summoned to the drawing room in an hour."

"Huh?" I opened my eyes and propped myself up with one arm. Ilia's room was gone. In it's place was a grand room, with high ceilings, beautiful woven carpets and intricate white furniture. What was this place?

Off to the left, was a wardrobe that matched all the other furniture, and a tall window with royal purple curtains. On the right, was a open area, with a white couch and a chair, and and small table with a tray set on it. On the same side was a veranda, it's doors wide open and curtains tied back. The weather outside was beautiful; not a single cloud in the sky.

"Miss?" The quiet woman caught my attention.

I shook my head. "I-I'm fine, I..." Oh, who am I kidding. No, I'm not fine. "What is this place?"

The woman, obviously a maid, gave me a kind smile. "This is Hyrule Castle, miss. You were brought here last night, very ill, and you've been asleep all night into the late morning."

I nodded. That must've been why I fainted. I had so much going through my mind, that I didn't feel any pain. Even now, I don't feel much of anything.

Whoa, whoa, wait. Did she just say Hyrule Castle?

Pinch me. I'm still dreaming.

"The Princess has summoned you and would like to see you in an hour. There's a warm bath waiting for you and fresh clothes after you've eaten." The maid gestured to the silver tray on the table. She looked back at me and smiled again, giving a curtsy "I'm Chira, miss. Anything else you need, just let me know."

I slid my feet over the edge of the bed and stood. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

She curtsied again. "I'll be back to get you for your bath in a little while. This castle is very large. We don't want you getting lost."

I just nodded numbly again, and sank down onto the white sofa. She sounded like my mother. Chira slipped out quietly, as I just stared at the silver tray. Picking up the lid to a pitcher, I smelled the sweet scent of a fruit that reminded me of my first days in Ordon.

How far from then I am now.

My mind was too foggy to think clearly, so I just sat there and ate the fruits and sweet bread that'd been left for me. I tried the drink, too, and it was the same kind of fruit juice I'd had back in Ordon. I tried to think now. What'd happened last night? The last thing I remember was fainting in Link's arms.

Link...! Where was he now? Was he still hurt?...

The image of him bleeding and bruised was the last thing I remember. I had to find him!

There was a knock on the bedroom door and Chira entered, several pieces of clothing draped over her arm. She set my old nightgown on a chest at the foot of the large bed and turned to me.

"If you're ready, we must hurry. The princess is waiting."

I was ready. No matter how long it took or how hard I had to try, I was going to find out exactly what was going on here.

* * *

It didn't take long to get to the bath and into it, and the warm water felt good. I wanted to stay there, but I knew there were more important things than soaking in a bath all day. Like finding out where exactly I was and where they'd taken Link after last night.

Turns out the clothes that Chira had on her arm were a dress and everything that went with it. It was simple in design; long sleeved and fitted, a white skirt underneath, the fabric dyed a soft red with matching slippers and gold embroidery on the ends of the skirt.

Chira pulled my hair back from my face with small braids and added a few more in my hair as well for good measure. She clipped the front braids back with red clips.

She straighted the wrinkles in the skirt and surveyed me. "Well, I think you're ready. I'll take you to the drawing room, miss."

I was able to look around the halls as we walked. They were just as grand as any of the rooms. Soft purple and gold carpets, tapestries on the walls, as well as paintings of past royalty.

We came to a set of huge oak doors. Chira opened them with ease and ushered me in.

This room was simple, just seeming to be for relaxing instead of any royal thing. Entertaining guests, maybe, was probably what went on here most.

My eyes fell on the princess. Zelda. Not Twilight Princess Zelda. Ocarina of Time Zelda. Which meant all my theories about my location were correct. I was somehow, someway in the past.

"Miss Amanda." Zelda smiled warmly. How'd she know my name? Link must've told them or something like that. Unless they read minds. But I didn't think that was the case.

"Your highness." I curtsied as well as I knew how. The fact that I even knew how was thanks to my days spent in theater classes and a few different roles I played for improv scenes. So that stuff does come in handy, I guess.

"Please, sit." She gestured to the table, where she'd been sitting. "I hope I didn't trouble you too much by waking you up and bringing you here. I just wanted to check up on how you were feeling."

"Fine, thank you." I replied politely, reaching for the tea and pouring myself some. "I appreciate your kindness in letting me stay here. I must apologize, for I don't exactly remember much from last night."

The princess nodded. "Of course. Though I want to wait until someone else arrives before we discuss that topic. He should be here any moment."

As if on cue, the great oak doors behind us opened with a slight creak and I turned to see who it was. Gracefully, of course. Just a slight glance over my shoulder. But what I saw made me do a double take. No...it couldn't be...

Oh, but it sure seemed like it was. From the familiar face and the clothes, all the way to the sword at his waist. But I had to be sure, or I was going to look stupid in front of these people.

The princess smiled and rose, giving a delicate, practiced curtsy He bowed low and kissed her hand in return. I could never stand all that proper courtly behavior. My parents may have raised me to be a lady, but I was really an outdoorsy girl. Camping, hiking, biking, are all my ideas of fun. Being cooped up like this would drive me crazy after a week. Maybe not even that long.

"Miss Amanda." The princess was smiling warmly at me now. "I'd like to present Link. He's our most trusted knight and a hero to this country."

"My, what a stunning sight." He knelt to kiss my hand, to which I abhorrently retracted, "Feisty, this one. She reminds me all too well of a certain stubborn princess!"

I plastered a smile on my face. Or tried to. I'm sure it looked as forced as it felt. If I was going to get any information of any kind out of them, I had to be nice. For the time being, anyway. "Sir Link." I gave him my best curtsy "You must be kinder to the princess. She's spoken very highly of you."

"My apologies. I meant only playful fun of it." He smiled to me, and to her.

"Of course." I managed to maintain my smile as we sat back down. I reached for my cup and quickly took another sip of tea before anything nasty slipped past my lips. Setting it back down, I took a deep breath and finally asked what had been on my mind since I'd awoken this morning. "Forgive me, your highness, but you called me here for a reason, did you not?"

She and the Hero of Time exchanged glances. Aha. So they were the cause of last night. The princess gave a small sigh. "Yes, Miss Amanda. I believe an explanation is owed to you for the previous evening."

"Could you tell me what happened? I'd been ill before I came here, so my mind is a bit foggy." _Liar_, a voice inside my head screamed. I ignored it for the time being.

"I think I'll let Link handle this one." She was giving him a look that said 'this-is-all-your-fault, anyway'.

"Well, it's..." This other Link's eyes were pleading with her, but she gave a rather loud 'Hmm!' that caused his lips to spill, "We thought it wise to test you, and learn more about you, is basically it."

I calmly let the information sink in before I answered. "You're a bad liar, hero."

"I could say the same to you, miss."

He had me there.

"Now..." I had to choose my words carefully now. "...are you going to tell me the truth and where my friend is, or am I going to have to go look for him myself?"

"We're fairly certain that friend of yours is in fact..." And the words seemed stuck in the hero's throat, "... a copy. Of me, that is. I've fought a being of darkness such as that once before, and this one was no less talented."

Link certainly was talented, but he was no copy. Of that I was sure. He'd been too kind to me since I'd arrived in Hyrule. "Where is he now?" I tried to keep my voice even. If he even said one more thing against him, I'd explode.

"We are not here to cause harm; merely, we wished to help as best we could." The princess, in contrast to this "hero", was calm and collected, "Link was troubled by the man's behavior, and so he thought it prudent to merely restrain him. Were we wise in this decision, or is he truly a threat?"

I managed to stop glaring at the Hero of Time to bring my attentions to the princess. I was calmer when I spoke with her, thankfully. "I trust your judgment, and in this case, you did what you thought was correct." I paused. "However. I can say he is not a threat."

"Can you be sure? If that man has returned..." He looked seriously troubled. Did he mean Ganondorf? This all had gone so far beyond my experience with the game, I couldn't tell up from down anymore.

Zelda placed her hand delicately down on the table, though it spoke as loud as if she had slammed her fist, "There is no proof of his involvement in this."

"You know, I'm getting pretty sick of you." I said frowning at Link as best I could. "I've only met you twice and I already don't like you."

Wow. I didn't expect him to look so dejected, but he certainly deserved it. There was nothing saying the Link I knew was a bad person other than a twist of fate. That he could throw such accusations around was really ticking me off.

I folded my arms. "I'll ask you again. Where is he? After I know, we're leaving and you won't see us ever again." I hoped.

"Link. The key."

I swore I could hear a defeated sigh. He reached to the wall and, after scanning the stone for a second with his fingers, threw a key straight into my palms. "Below us. You can't miss him."

"Oh, you're not getting out of this so easily." I took the key from him with a smirk. "You're coming with me."

He coughed a laugh, "Nothin' doin'. The farther the distance the better, thank you."

"Link!" The princess' voice held a warning in it.

"It's all right, your highness..." I said, rising from my chair. "It's perfectly fine if he's a coward. I completely understand. I shall go myself." I turned my back and walked towards the door. Three...two...one...

"Take that back! I am by no means a coward! I even have Triforce to that effect!"

I just shrugged. I gave another curtsy to Zelda and stepped towards the doors. "Thank you for all your kindness. I shall change into my own clothes after I retrieve my friend and we'll be leaving." I sent one last glare in the Hero of Time's direction and slipped out of the room. My footsteps were silent on the rug as I took the time to walk slowly down the hall.

He should be coming in another three, two, one...

The doors of the drawing room flew open and slammed shut. I could hear him coming up quickly, but I wasn't prepared when he grabbed my arm forcefully and spun me around.

"Oww! Hey!" I yanked my arm back from him. "Let go of me! You're hurting me!" Now I was _really_ mad. Who does this guy think he is, anyway?

He released me, but the angry edge in his voice and his stare didn't waver one bit. "You're going the wrong way."

This time I stopped and turned back to him willingly. "Huh?"

"I said, you're going the wrong way. The dungeon is in the western part of the castle."

Oh. I'd been only doing this out of spite before (making him come with me) but now it seemed like a good idea. Even if I didn't like him in the least.

"Well, then. Since you're such an _expert_, lead the way." He just turned and started walking, as if he knew I'd say that, and I had to resist the urge to hit myself in the head. I hadn't meant for that to come out so snippy.

This castle was no less grand than the one in Twilight Princess. It seemed to be even more of a maze than the other, if that was even possible. Not that I'd seen it for real yet, but I remember navigating the rooftops at the beginning. A pain in the butt, that was.

The Hero Time led me through several corridors and winding hallways before we reached the massive doors to the dungeon. Why did everything have to be so big? As I peeked inside, I saw the familiar staircase that wound down into the depths of the dungeons and waterways.

"What's the matter?" Link asked from behind me. "Go on. It just down at the bottom there and through those doors."

I sighed. I suppose I should go, but...Dang it. Now I feel the need to apologize. Why? He was the jerk, not me. ...Okay, well...maybe just a little bit of it was me. Okay, a lot. What do you want from me?

"What is it now?" He asked, as I turned to him, head bowed in shame.

"I..."

"Spit it out."

"...I'm sorry."

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and glanced back up at me. Oh geez. Even their _stares_ were the same. The only way I'd ever be able to tell them apart, was if I were to put them side by side and study them for a good long while.

"I mean it." I said. "I apologize for my behavior back there. I wasn't raised to act in such a way. I don't know what came over me...I just..."

"I attacked you and locked your friend up."

"Well, yeah."

He sighed. "Did it ever occur to you that I was doing what I had to? You were almost killed the last time I saw you. I never saw who attacked you. I thought he was the one who had taken you. You just disappeared right with him."

Wait, so he didn't see...? Weird. That could potentially be very bad.

"I'm not completely heartless, you know."

"Huh?"

"He's fine. I made sure he was treated before I threw him in the dungeon."

Somehow that doesn't make me feel better. "Thank you."

Link just studied me quietly. "You're the strangest woman I've ever met."

I laughed a little now. "I've heard that plenty of times before. What's your point, hero?"

He looked like he was about to say something, but he just shook his head. "Nothing."

"I should go." I started down the long spiral staircase.

"Wait."

I spun on my heel to see the Hero of Time still watching me. "What is it?"

"You seem like you can take care of yourself, but...be careful. I don't want to see you in pieces the next time you come here."

"What makes you think there will be a next time?"

He shrugged and folded his arms, leaning against the massive doorway. "Oh, I just have a feeling."

I hated to admit it, but I did, too.

I put a hand on the stone wall to keep my balance. These skirts were driving me crazy. "I promise I'll be careful."

With that, he seemed satisfied and I turned to continue down into the damp dungeon. I didn't have to look to know he watched me until he couldn't see me anymore.

I didn't know whether to be happy that they seemed exactly alike or annoyed. All I knew was I wanted to get back to the village.


	15. Practice Makes Perfect!

**Chapter Fifteen: Practice Makes Perfect!**

Sunlight. In my eyes. Make it go away.

I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in my pillow. The fabric was soft and cool against my cheeks. Soft. Not hard like those temple floors. I breathed a sigh of relief and hugged the pillow tightly. I don't even want to know how we got back here, I'm just glad I don't have to look at those stone walls anymore.

I could hear soft voices coming from downstairs. It sounds like the Mayor and Link are both awake. I might as well get up, too. I really don't want to look at these walls anymore, either. And the sun is out! I'm going outside today, no matter what anyone says.

I yawned, rubbing my eyes as I slipped out of bed. The wooden floors were freezing, but I suppose there was nothing that could be done about that.

"So, you're finally awake."

I turned on my heel to see Midna floating behind me, arms behind her head, legs crossed. "Yeah, what of it?" I hadn't even been up five minutes and she was already on my case. I was _so_ not in the mood for it.

"Sheesh. You slept a day and you're still such a grouch." She shrugged. "Even Mr. Hero was up before you."

"We both have names, you kno—wait, did you say a _day_?"

The shadow gave me an impish grin. "Eee hee! Yep! That poor human tried to wake you two for a while, and then when he realized you two were still alive, he left you alone."

By "poor human", she must have meant Mayor Bo. Whatever. I was in no mood for her this morning. I'd already had enough of certain people in the last day and I wasn't willing to deal with the same kind of attitude from her. I'd probably punch her if I heard her voice one more second. It didn't help that I hadn't felt like I'd slept in the last few days.

Her words faded as well as her "Hey!" as I turned back and clammored down the spiral staircase to the open kitchen.

The room was empty when I got down there. Weird. They must've gone out or something. There was stuff for tea on the counter, so I grabbed a cup from the shelves and filled the kettle with water. I was setting it over the fire when Link and the Mayor came in from outside.

"Good morning." I said, straightening up.

"Good morning." Link replied, smiling. "How long have you been up?"

I yawned and stretched. "Ah, not too long. Have you been out all this time?"

The Mayor pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "Yeah. We had to go to Sara's shop to get something for Link's arm there."

I froze and glaced over at him. He was just wearing his white shirt instead of the green tunic and gold chainmail over it. One of the sleeves was rolled up and his arm was bandaged tightly. I wonder how he explained that to Mayor Bo?

"Wh-what happened?" I asked, moving to take the water off the fire before it boiled over.

"It's nothing to worry about. Just an old injury, Amanda." Link answered simply, giving me a look that said 'we'll discuss it later'. I breathed a sigh of relief. The Mayor must have bought the story, because he was nodding. We have to figure out how and why all this was happening. Preferably before it happens again.

I settled myself down at the end of the table, when there was a knock on the front door.

"Come in." Mayor Bo called from the kitchen.

It was Rusl who pushed open the front door. "Good morning." He greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning!" I called back with a wide smile. This tea is really cheering me up. And the sunshine, too. Fresh air. I can't wait to get outside. If I'm cooped up any longer, I _will_ hurt someone.

He chuckled. "It seems you're feeling much better."

"Yes!"

"Why don't you meet me outside in a half hour, then? I'll teach you how to use that halberd of yours."

"Really?" You have to admit, learning how to use a weapon like the halberd I'd found would be cool. I wonder what exactly he'd teach me, though? Rusl is injured and still on crutches from the attack on the village...ah well, I'm sure he'll be fine.

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll be out there in half an hour." I wrapped my hands around my tea and took another sip.

He nodded. "Be on time." Then he left, shutting the front door behind him.

"You better listen to what he says." Mayor Bo said. "I remember Link getting in trouble on more than one occasion. And it wasn't pretty."

"You don't think he'd do anything to me, do you?" I asked, glancing in Link's direction. "I'm a girl, and..."

He shrugged. "I think he'll be tougher on you _because _you're a girl."

Well, shoot.

I downed the rest of my tea and pushed back my chair. "I'd better go get dressed then!"

"Don't you think you should eat first?"

"I'll eat later!" I ran upstairs to change into something that I could get dirty. I pulled on my black pants and a white shirt that wrapped around and tied on the side. Looking around in the wardrobe, I found an older pair of black flat shoes that I knew Ilia wouldn't mind me borrowing.

...No, really. She offered to give them to me the last time I was here, but there had been no room in my bag for them.

Grabbing my brush, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and used pins to keep it in place. Satisfied with my appearance, I took my halberd and went back downstairs. The main room was empty. Link and the Mayor must've already went back to practice with those Iron Boots. Hopefully Fado had gone back to the ranch.

I pulled open the front door and stepped outside into the fresh air. Rusl was waiting for me by the stream.

"You're lucky. Another minute and there would've been consequinces." I don't think I want to know what they'd have been. "Are you ready to do this, Amanda?"

"Yes." I said, without a thought. It was essential to learn this stuff so I won't kill myself before I get home. And maybe I could use some of this stuff on my little brothers. Not with real weapons of course. Sticks or something. Yes, I'm a mean sister.

"Now, we'll begin with the basics..."

Basics. That's simple enough, right? I should've seen if I could've found something to protect my hands and arms with, though...just in case it isn't.

"Amanda!" Rusl's bark snapped me back to attention.

"H-huh? Sorry, Rusl. I'm paying attention, really." Did I miss something?

He coughed into his fist as he leaned against a crutch, looking weary from his shout. "I know it doesn't need telling, but we lack time to waste... If you are determined to help Link, you must know the fundamentals of survival."

I nodded, clutching my halberd tightly in my hands. "I understand. I'm listening."

His sword came crashing down towards my face, blade stopping as it brushed my hair. It was startling how fast he still was; I could only stand there wide-eyed in awe.

"Defense." Was all he said.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I cried. "Warn me before you do something like that!"

"What warning will an enemy afford you?" He lowered his weapon, but his eyes were still stabbing through me, "One mistake is all it takes, and there you are, helpless to avoid death. That is the nature of combat."

I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say he's not going to take it easy on me just because I'm a girl. Drat. "Okay, okay."

He seemed to smile through his bandages. Maybe he was happy I had noticed? I couldn't enjoy it, though, as he motioned with his hand for me to, "Bring it on."

He can't be serious...He's still injured. He couldn't possibly want me to come at him like that. Rusl wouldn't be able to move very fast. I shrugged. Whatever. I tightened my grip on my weapon and dashed towards him, ready to strike.

Before I knew what had happened, he'd moved completely out of the way and tripped me with his crutch. Now I was eating those words...and the dirt. Gross.

"Offense." What? Was he making a checklist of what I had to work on? "Accuracy, too. I do not mean to be harsh..." He offered me a hand up from the mud, "... but what I'm trying to teach you took most of Link's adult life to master. I can only try my best to prepare you for what you face."

I sighed and took his offered hand, brushing the dirt off my clothing as I stood. "I know. But we only have today and maybe a little of tomorrow. What am I supposed to do, Rusl? This place is so different from my home. There's no need for this stuff there." I slumped down on a nearby rock. "I'm just a spoiled city girl."

He chuckled a bit, and I wasn't sure whether to be offended or not. He rested his sword by the stream and pulled one of those straw dummies out from behind the bridge, setting it up with its pole in the water. Something about that pumpkin face was screaming, "Smash me!"

"Do not be so troubled. It is not common for the fairer sex to take up arms as you have so adamantly ordained for yourself." Rusl made sure the pole was fastened tight with his good arm. "I actually only know of one in particular. A knight from the Northern lands."

A knight...could he mean Ashei, the one who studies the Yeti? "Really? What's she like? I'd love to meet her."

"She is..." He seemed at a loss for words, and I wasn't surprised. There weren't many ways to adequately describe her. I mistook her for a Yeti when I'd reached the mountains the first time. "... an interesting person, I will say that much. She studied most all of her life under her father, Oran Klintsbelt, a commanding officer I once served under. Ashei... She was as a son he never had."

When he was finished with his preparations, he turned to me, and I tried to be as prepared as was that pumpkin head.

"Now, then." Rusl had a smile on his face that I didn't like one bit... "It's quite simple. Hit this training dummy without falling into the stream. Think you can manage?"

Ooo...this was some kind of trick, wasn't it? I just forced a smile. It was worth a try, wasn't it? "I guess so. Though nothing's ever as simple as you make it sound." Okay, Amanda. It's right in front of you. Unless you have bad aim (which I don't, really—I don't think), you can't miss it.

I raised the halberd and focused on the dummy. Just like I would with the push of a button on the controller (Remind me to give the gamecube a few good kicks when I get home. Nothing is as easy as pushing a button.) Keeping focused on the target, I finally swung the halberd down at it.

The blade hit the scarecrow-whatever's arm hard enough, I thought, to lop it off, but... instead, the force caused it to spin, and its other arm smacked me in the back of the head. I fell into the stream with a loud splash.

"Oww..." I pulled myself from the freezing stream to see the dummy back in place, completely still.

"A tree stands firm because of its roots..." Rusl was watching, sitting on the rock I had been, "Focus more of your weight on your legs to give the blow its foundation."

I rubbed the back of my head. The pumpkin dummy was still grinning at me. I was more determined than ever to break it's stupid head. I stood up, shaking the water off my weapon. Let's see...focus my weight on my legs?...Where have I heard that before?

...Oh! That's a technique we use in music, too! To give yourself more breath and support when you're singing, you focus most of your weight on the lower half of your body and take deep breaths from your diaphragm. I wonder...

I closed my eyes. I could imagine the choir room, our director keeping the beat for a song. I hummed a few bars of an old piece, and I automatically went into the proper stance. Taking a deep breath, I swung again, and...

There was a splash all right, but it wasn't me getting dunked... No, the pumpkin clean exploded! Well, as clean as a pumpkin can explode. I was just lucky I hadn't been covered in pumpkin guts. It took a little effort as the axe of my halberd had lodged somewhat in the wooden frame, but I pulled it off and stepped back. I turned to see Rusl clapping, and Uli standing beside him with a smile and some sandwiches.

"I...did it?" I looked at the blade of my halberd, which still had a few pieces of pumpkin on it. Again, gross.

"Yes. Most impressive. When you focus, your accuracy is excellent."

Wait, was he saying I wasn't focused? ...I resisted the urge to punch myself in the head. Yes, Amanda, that's exactly what he's saying. I really _do_ need to pay more attention.

"Why don't you two take a break and eat something?" Uli said, still holding the tray of sandwiches. "You can continue breaking things afterwards."

I leaned my halberd against the Cucco pen, and then took the sandwich tray from Uli. "Here, let me help."

"Thank you, Amanda." She said with a smile.

Rusl held open the front door for both of us and we moved inside. I set the tray down on the table, and moved over to the sink to wash my hands.

"...Where's Link and Mayor Bo?" I asked, drying my hands on a towel.

"Probably still down the hall practicing." Rusl answered, reaching for a set of plates.

Uli took them from him and kissed his cheek. I smiled at that and turned down the long hall to get the two wrestlers. I could hear Link being thrown into the floor or wall or something as I got closer. It sounded painful. Ah, well. He's a grown man. He can take it.

Yes, I'm still mad about him tying me to that chair. That was mean.

"Hey, guys...It's—" My words were ignored as they went at each other again. I sighed. I wasn't going to waste my breath. There was only one way to get their attention...I moved across the room to where a gong stood. I raised my fist and pounded on it hard. They both jumped and turned towards the sound. "—lunchtime."

"Okay, we'll be there in a sec—" Link was cut off as the mayor tackled him and threw him out of the ring.

I cringed as he hit the floor. Ouch.

"Pay closer attention to your opponent." Mayor Bo said. "Do not let outside distractions throw you off." He clapped his hands together. "Now...there's lunch, you say?...Wonderful!" He grabbed a towel off a nearby rack and moved down the hall.

I tried to hide my laughter as I held out a hand to help him up. "Are you all right? Sorry I interrupted. But if I hadn't then, you two would have never quit."

He took my hand and stood up. "It's okay. You're probably right." He grinned as he turned and reached for a towel. "I'm starving, anyway."

"Let's go, then. I'm hungry, too."

"Ah, wait. Can we talk first?"

I paused. "Sure."

He was quiet for a few moments, as if thinking about what he was going to say was the right thing. "...I believe you now."

"Huh?"

"I mean...about last night..."

...Wait...so he didn't believe me before? Thanks a lot. "So did you think I was lying?"

He shook his head, leaning against the wall now. "No, but I thought you must've been dreaming about that man. You hurt yourself when you left Kakariko, that's all."

I nodded, considering. It was a logical explanation, I suppose. I didn't say anything about hurting myself before then. "I thought it was a dream, too, at first. But something has to be going on. The person that's behind this stuff in Hyrule has to be the cause of us going to that other place."

"Did you get to talk to the people at that palace?"

"Yeah...I found out who they were and all. And where we were."

He frowned. "Tell me. I want to know who that guy was so I can kill him the next time I see him. "

I sighed. If there's a chance we might go there again somehow, it's better for him to know everything now...Still... "You're not going to believe me if I tell you. And besides, this guy doesn't think very highly of you, either."

"Just tell me."

Okay, but remember, you wanted to know... "He's...that was...the Hero of Time."

If you ever want Link to be completely stunned, just tell him what I did. Seriously, he's just standing there. I don't think he's fully processed what came from my lips. Wait...give him one more second.

"I'm still gonna kill him."

That's ri—wait, what?

"You can't do that!" I cried. "I don't like him either, but—"

"He tried to kill you! Do you not remember that?"

"Actually," I said. "he was trying to kill _you_."

"That's not the point!" Link pounded a fist angrily on the wall. "He's an arrogant asshole and I won't stand for his attitude again!"

Yes, I agree with you. But let's not put holes in Mayor Bo's walls, okay?

I backed away a little. He was getting scary again. "Calm down. We'll deal with him when it comes up. For now, just relax, okay?..." I sucked in a sharp breath when he turned to glance in my direction. "Please...You're scaring me..."

He let out a frustrated sigh and pushed away from the wall. "I'm sorry...You're right."

"Look...all I know is that we shouldn't do anything about that until we know what's going on. It'll just possibly make things worse." And get away from the storyline even more than it already is. I hardly know what's going on anymore.

I don't think I want to, either.

"Yeah, yeah..."

We both stood in silence for several moments. I can tell this is going to be a touchy subject for a while. Let's change it, shall we? "I think...I'm gonna go upstairs and rest for a bit." I said, managing a small smile. "I've lost my appetite, but if you're still hungry, you should go eat."

"Amanda..." His voice held a warning in it. "You didn't eat anything this morning either. Do you want to stay ill?"

Not really. It wasn't fun the first time. "No, but I'm not hungry right now. I'll eat later."

"You'll eat now."

"Make me."

Link tugged a shirt on. "I _will_ tie you to that chair again..."

He had a strange look in his eye. Uh-oh. I think he means it. "Fine, fine. One sandwich."

"Good." Link looked at me with a grin. Yeah, yeah. You won again. So what?

After lunch, it's more training with Rusl. I think he said we were working on my defense next. I'm gonna be sore tomorrow. And we're riding horses back to Kakariko. I am _so_ gonna soak in those hot springs when we get back there.

If I manage to survive everyone's wrath, that is. I have a feeling a few people are not very happy with me.


	16. Unexpected And Unwanted Visitors

**Chapter Sixteen: Unexpected (and Unwanted) Visitors**

"We're almost there."

I just kept staring straight ahead (though I did hear what he said), clutching Zale's reins tightly in my hands. I slowed his pace to a walk and sighed. The bridge that stretched over the gorge was just ahead.

We'd woken up late this morning and I made every effort possible to make sure we stayed on that slow pace. Going back to Kakariko was not at the top of my list. At least at the moment. I knew we had to at some point, but...

I'd made a fool of myself. I was embarrassed and ashamed with my actions. I could go on and on about why I didn't want to go back. Most of all, though...

...I didn't want to face Jillian. She was scary.

"Amanda."

I looked up to meet Link's eyes.

"It'll be okay. I promise."

"I know." I sighed again. There wasn't long until we got there. I wonder if there's any way I could delay us more? '_Coward'_, a voice in my mind screamed. I rubbed at my temples. I was getting a headache.

"Amanda?"

"What is it?"

"Stop Zale for a second."

Was he blind or something? I was completely stopped now. I had been for the past several minutes. "I am, Link. What's the matter?"

"Don't you hear those sounds?"

Hadn't we been through this before? I couldn't hear some of the things that they could. "No."

"It sounds like...Bullbos. They aren't horses, that's for sure."

My heart skipped a beat. Did he just say Bullbos? I thought frantically, searching for something I knew involved bullbos near this point. Let's see...after we get the iron boots, we go back to Kakariko. The kids should be playing in the middle of the road, and...oh, no.

The raiding party. Colin gets kidnapped. I completely forgot. How could I be so stupid?

"Link, look!" I cried, pointing to the winding road on the other side of the gorge.

Several bulbos carrying bublins came charging down the hill in a cloud of dust. King Bublin stopped for a moment and gave me this malicious grin that I'd learned all too well in the days before Kakariko.

"Those bublins were the ones that captured us before in Ordon! I'm sure of it!"

"Hya!" Link let out a cry and spurred Epona on ahead, sword drawn. I followed just as fast behind him, though I knew we couldn't stop them in time. I coughed as some of the dust from the road caught in my throat. We were going so fast that we were kicking up the dirt, too.

By the time we reached the village inn, King Bublin had Colin in his grasps. He taunted us by holding him up and grinning. Then they were off again.

"Stay here, Amanda." Link said, drawing his sword now."

"What? But you can't—!"

"You're staying here, Amanda. That's all there is to it."

Was he serious? I met his eyes with a glare, to find he was giving me a look of his own.

"I'll be back with Colin as soon as I can." Oh? You may think so now, but wait until you're surrounded by Bublins riding bullbos, each with their own set of flaming arrows. "Watch over the village until then. There might be more to that raiding party."

I highly doubted it, but he didn't really give me a chance for rebuttal as he rode off on Epona in the direction of the bublins.

Maya was standing down on the porch, arms folded. "You're not going to let him talk to you like that, are you?"

"What choice do I have? I left my weapon somewhere in the inn and I don't have time to find it..." I was running out of time, period. If I didn't go within the next couple of minutes, he'd really have to battle this out himself.

Hane frowned. "He was right. You're not experienced enough. I'll go." He stepped forward towards Zale.

"Hane, darling." His fiancée held him back gently. "If anyone should go, it should be Amanda. What if the raiders come back?"

Maya had a good point. One I could easily use to turn this in my direction. "Exactly. You just said I wasn't experienced enough to handle those things. You'd be able to if they came back. If I went after Colin, I wouldn't be alone."

The knight paused at this for a moment. He finally sighed. "Fine."

"Hey..." Maya was frowning now, too. "Where'd mom go?"

Jillian had been standing out with the others when we got there. Now she was nowhere to be seen. "That's odd—"

"Amanda!"

I turned Zale in the direction of the sudden shout. Jillian ran out the side door of the inn, with my halberd in hand. I'd never been so happy to see it.

She tossed it towards me. "Catch!"

I reached out for it and caught it, almost falling over in the process. I'd forgotten how much it weighed. I gave her a quick smile. "Thanks."

Jillian nodded. "You'd better hurry."

"Hane, have Talo go up to that tall tower and have him keep watch for bublins. He's gotten pretty good at it. Beth and Malo can keep a closer watch from the roofs above the shops. That way they'll be out of the way if more trouble comes."

I turned Zale towards the eastern exit. Sliding the halberd into the holder that Rusl had fashioned for me, and nudged my horse forward. I used my heels to push him a little more. I needed to catch up to them. And fast.

Yeah, I know he said not to, and he's probably going to be mad at me, but I don't really care at the moment. I'll deal with the consequences later.

Zale's hooves pounded underneath me against the mountain ground. My heart was pounding in nearly the same rhythm. I had to get there before—

I slowed Zale at the top of the hill that led down into the Eastern fields. King Bublin sat there with a smirk on his monstrous face as he beckoned Link to fight him. Colin hung there, unconscious. Link drew his sword just as the bublin brought a horn to his lips.

A deep sound rang in the air and shook the valley around it. The sound of hooves quickly covered it. Five Bullbos, carrying two bublins each, surrounded them. Every single one of them had flaming arrows. King Bublin gave another smirk and rode ahead. I saw him mouth "dammit" as they completely surrounded him now.

There was no way he'd take all of those monsters on his own and still get to Colin in time.

I nudged my horse forward into a canter down the hill. Zale complied, keeping up the speed as we reached the bottom. Keeping one hand latched on the reins, I pulled out my halberd. Time to see what this thing can do.

It was difficult to keep my grip on my weapon as I rode closer. Normally I'd use two hands, but that wasn't an option in this case, unless I wanted to fall. Zale was coming up on the group of bublin riders fast. I eased him up a little and let go of the reins, balancing myself in the saddle. I took the halberd in both hands and unleashed a swing on a duo of them as I passed.

It connected, but not hard enough. The swing did just enough to make them scramble a little so Link could ride free. I swung around again and rode next to him.

"What do you think you're doing?" He yelled over the wind.

"Don't you even start!" I shouted back at him, getting ready to swing around towards the bublins. "Just go after Colin! Let me worry about these other ones! Face it! You can't do this alone!"

For one moment, Link looked like he was going to continue the argument. But he grunted in frustration and tore off ahead on Epona, leaving me and Zale to head off the other bublins. I sharply turned him to the left and cut them off.

One of them let loose their flaming arrow and it barely missed my shoulder. I turned my back to them and jumped over a low stone wall. Bad idea. Another arrow whizzed past the side of my head. I could feel the steel and flame graze my skin. Barely, but I could. Time to turn around now!

Zale halted at the next stone wall, rearing up and stepping back a bit. I must be wearing him out. "Come on, Zale. Please keep going." I whispered in his ear, the bublins getting closer by the second. He perked up a little and nickered softly. "Okay, boy. Let's go." I nudged his sides and he sprang forward just in time to miss more arrows.

This was getting us nowhere, other than in circles. I had to think of some way to, you know, actually defeat them. Hopefully without getting knocked off my horse or killed.

I used the lower half of my body to center myself again, like Rusl had taught me. I gripped my weapon tightly in both hands and gave a swing that did absolutely nothing. I completely missed them, as they scattered when my halberd went where they'd been.

"Darn it." I hissed through my clenched teeth, circling Zale around again. This wasn't going to work either. There had to be some way I could kill them without using a weapon. I was facing them now, and they drew their arrows again. I looked over my shoulder. I was running out of space to run, too. The cliffs kept getting closer with each of my missed attempts.

They were cornering me. And soon it would be all over.

Unless I could think of something in the next minute.

I pulled Zale towards the cliffs instead, looking for some kind of a way out of this. He danced a little in place as a flaming arrow lodged into the grass next to him. I spurred him into a gallop towards the cliffs. Then it dawned on me. A way out of this mess. I only had one shot at it, but it was my only hope.

I slowed down a little. If I want to live, I have to slow down. Those bublins need to be close enough for this anyway.

The was getting closer and closer...finally, when we were about a half foot away, I pulled on Zale's reins and turned sharply to the left. I could hear the bullbo's frantic attempts to stop, but it was no use. They shot over the edge.

Of course, I almost didn't notice because I was falling now, too. My horse's back hooves were slipping and some of the ground was crumbling underneath. No! I'm not going to die now! I kicked his sides frantically and he sprung forward with his last bit of energy, moving to solid ground.

I collapsed forward and hugged the horse's neck tightly. "I'm _never_ doing anything like that _again_." Nearly had a heart attack, I did. I slid off Zale and walked him to a clear pool of water that had gathered in the stone remains on the field. Splashing some of the cold water on my face, I sat back on my heels. The field was quiet now. Two bullbos lay ahead a ways, without riders.

...Hey...Where'd Link and King Bublin go?

I stood and slipped my foot in the stirrup and pulled myself back onto Zale. Time to head for the Bridge of Eldin, then. I wasn't looking forward to watching the whole jousting thing. My nerves are too jumpy as it is.

"Are you all right?" A voice asked softly.

I met Link's eyes as I looked up. The now free Bullbo was standing patiently beside Epona, riderless. I guess I don't have to watch them after all. Good thing, too. I would've just been a distraction. "I'm fine."

"Can you hole the pole here while I get Colin free?"

"Yeah..." I agreed, moving closer, so I could grip it with both hands. "Midna, get Colin, would you?"

Minda floated up from our shadows. "What do I look like, your servant?" We both gave her a tired glare and she sighed. "Fine, fine. Whatever." She held him still and caught him when the ropes were severed.

"Amanda, hold Colin on the way back to the village. There might be more to that raiding party yet."

I highly doubted it, but I nodded anyway and took him from Midna. The ride back to Kakariko was silent and unnerving. You could hear the horses footsteps and the chirps of the golden bugs that I knew were somewhere around here. I also knew Link was angry with me, but I just wish he'd get it over with and yell at me. Knowing that he was going to made me want to talk to Jillian more. I know. Scary, isn't it?

* * *

It was almost dark when the ground below us turned to fine reddish earth and the land began to slope upwards towards the village. The fading sunlight bathed everything in an orange glow and it was really very pretty. It made it look like the kind of fairy tale land I'd always dreamed of visiting. Even the sinister-looking twilight in the background didn't dim the beauty of it.

Hane was waiting for us by the gates. It didn't take long from there to get back to the inn. I dismounted and handed Colin to Link. He didn't even look at me as he took the young boy from me.

I sighed and brushed past Maya to go inside. Everything was aching and I just wanted to lie down. I pushed open the door of the bedroom and quickly slipped inside to change out of that stupid dress and just wear my black pants and white shirt. I slipped my boots off, too, and opted for those flat black shoes.

I could hear everyone's voices dimming. It sounded like they were heading to the sanctuary to make sure Colin was okay. I'd do that later, too. For now, I just wanted to find someplace where I could be alone. I went through the kitchen door instead of the front one just to be safe and made my way (quickly) past the sanctuary.

The spring looked different now, somehow. I ran my hands over the rocky cliffs that towered over it. There was a cave now where there was rock last time. I'm assuming Barnes did it. (He's the only one with bombs at the moment.) Looking around to make sure no one was coming, I went inside.

It was cool and damp, and I could hear rushing water from the spring up ahead. There was a small cliff over the waterfalls, and it was the perfect place to sit and think without being seen or bothered.

I think I've just found my new favorite spot.

The night air was warm for once, so I was pretty comfortable as I sat and rested against the stone. Too comfortable. My eyelids slid shut and I gave into my exhaustion.

* * *

"Mmmn..." I shivered and pulled the piece of cloth that was covering my shoulders closer. I don't care what it was or where it came from. It was warm and I wanted it.

"Amanda." Someone shook my shoulder. "Wake up."

I moaned a little and clutched the piece of cloth that had amazingly appeared out of nowhere. A cool hand touched my forehead.

"I'm not still sick, if that's what you're wondering, Jillian." I mumbled. "Just exhausted."

Jillian sighed and I winced a little inwardly. I hadn't meant for my tone to be that sharp. I was already on bad terms with Link as it was. I didn't need to make it worse by being rude to everyone else.

"I just wanted to talk, that's all." She said quietly.

I pushed myself up and pulled my knees up to my chest, blanket still hanging over my shoulders. "Okay."

I hadn't noticed before, but Jillian was older than I'd originally thought. Maybe around the same age as my mother, around her mid-forties. The moonlight brought out the lines in her face from years of laughter and probably anger as well. But she acts so full of life all the time, that you hardly notice, except when she's giving motherly advice to you. Which isn't often. The frying pan she carries works just as well to get a point across.

In other words, don't make her angry or you'll be left with a huge dent in your head. Hane should know. He's felt it more than once.

Jillian sat down on the dusty cave floor across from me. "I need to apologize." She began. "The way I treated you that day was not right."

"No," I shook my head. "You're right. We shouldn't have been alone. But I wasn't really thinking...my mind was elsewhere..." It probably sounded like an excuse, but this whole going back in time business really did make nervous. Until I knew what was going on, I wouldn't feel safe here.

"Amanda." Her tone was sharp and caught my full attention, but she softened into a sad smile. "It's okay to be worried. And afraid. But you need to know that all of us are here for you, okay?"

"But I'm not from here."

Jillian frowned. "What does that have to do with any of it?"

Good point. I shrugged. "I just don't feel like I fit in here. Especially since..." My voice trailed off, but I knew she knew what I meant.

"Don't worry about him. I already gave him a stern talking to."

"You what?..."

She had a glint of laughter in her soft brown eyes, even though her face was serious. "Oh, yes. You should've seen Maya and I gang up on those two."

I rolled my eyes and bit my lip to keep from grinning at the thought of Link being backed into a corner by Jillian and Maya. Hane probably tried to defend him, but backed out when he saw the frying pan in her hands...

"What exactly did you two talk about?" I just had to know before I went to go see him myself.

"Exactly what needed to be said. That what he did himself was reckless. He can't expect you to tag along and just watch from the side. If you're going, than you two need to work as a team."

"Three of us." I murmured with a heavy sigh, thinking of the grin I'd get from Midna when she realized I almost fell of the cliff today.

"What'd you say?" Jillian asked, eyebrow raised.

Oops. "N-nothing, Jillian." I answered quickly. Then I scooted over to the other side of the opening and hugged her tightly. Perfect diversion. And I wanted and needed a hug anyway. She seemed surprised for a minute, then hugged me back. Hugs are perfect distractions, no?

Both of us paused as the sound of footsteps bounced off the cave's walls and faded after a few moments.

"Go on, now, dear. Go talk with him." Jillian said as we stood, giving me a light shove on the shoulders and a motherly smile.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going." I grinned and hugged her once more. "Thanks. Wish me luck!"

Jillian's voice echoed in the cave as I walked out. "You'll need it!"

The night air was cool—make that freezing; the wind was cutting through my clothes like ice—on my face as I made my way towards the south gates. They'd been swung wide open by someone. When I looked down, I saw hoofprints in the dirt.

Yep. He'd been here. But which way did he go after that?

I shrugged to myself and just started walking. The stars hung gorgeously over the cliffs and the moon was bigger than I'd ever seen it. It was absolutely beautiful.

"You shouldn't be out here alone."

I didn't move from my spot hear the edge. "But I'm not alone now, am I?" I said, glancing over my shoulder at Link, who stood with Epona's reins in his hands.

"I suppose not." He released Epona and came to stand next to me.

There was something in his tone that said he was still angry with me, so I inched away a little to put some space between us and sat down in the soft grass. We stayed that way for a while, just listening to the wind and the golden bugs humming somewhere nearby.

"Well," Link said finally, clearing his throat. "Don't come back too late. And don't go any farther." The swordsman went to mount Epona.

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. And he was about to leave. Say something, Amanda! You can't leave things like this!

"Wait, Link! Please." I swallowed the lump in my throat when he glared at me and continued. "We really need to talk."

For a minute he looked like he was going to just ignore me and leave, but he finally dismounted and came back. Reluctantly. Very reluctantly.

"What is it?" He asked with a slight frown.

Geez. At least be a little less down about this, would you? "I'm sorry."

"I told you earlier today, yo—wait...did you just say..."

"Yeah. I'm sorry." I did a victory dance in my head. I'd caught him off-guard. He expected me to argue about today. Maybe he'd listen now. "What I did was reckless and could've gotten Colin killed. I'm sorry."

"Amanda..."

I didn't want to say this, but...it seems like the only way now. I don't want Link to keep being mad at me. If this is the only way we can still be friends, then so be it. "I'll stay in the village from now on. Out of your way."

"But..."

"You'll be fine. I know it." I smiled.

He took my hand as I turned to go. "But I don't want you to stay here." He replied.

Now it was my turn to be caught off-guard. "Wh-what?..."

"What you did was probably stupid, yes." Probably? What's that supposed to mean? "But...it was also very smart."

"Huh?"

"I wasn't the one thinking things through. Again. You were. You even made sure the children were safe. Thank you." Link smiled at me, sapphire eyes glittering. "If I want to stay alive, I need you with me."

"Oh..." I nodded and turned on my heel, walking a little. Of course. I'd keep him from doing stupid things and he'd do what Midna needed him to.

He sighed. "Amanda...I didn't mean it that way...it came out wrong..."

"Then...how did you mean it?" I asked, clasping my hands behind my back and turning back.

"You're my friend and I trust you, too. Of course I want you to come with me."

I hadn't really been too miffed by his comment, but it was nice to hear anyway. I jumped and wrapped my arms around his neck tightly and hugged him. Link seemed surprised at first, but he hugged me back soon enough. When I finally let go, I nearly fell back. That'd been awful forward of me...

"S-sorry." I said, blushing.

He laughed. "Come on. Let's go back. It's cold out here!"

Midna popped up from the shadows. "No kidding! I was wondering when you two would kiss and make up so we could go somewhere warm!"

"You were listening?" I asked.

She gave me an impish grin. "Yep. Now, enough chit-chat! Get going, clumsy! It's cold!"

"Now, wait just a minute—!"

The clip-clop of hooves in the distance silenced us. Link was already almost to the gates now. The grin I could see him holding back was evil. He is so dead when I catch up to him.

"This is your fault, pixie." I said. "Eh...pixie?"

But Midna had taken that opportunity to fly ahead and dive into Link's shadow. She stuck her tounge out at me and dove out of sight again. I clenched my fists. The nerve of that...that...stupid pixie! And she was supposed to be a princess!

Psh. Yeah right. I'll believe it when I see it.

But the rest of my days here leading up to it couldn't be too bad. Tomorrow would be a new beginning for me.

And the start of a long, long journey. In more ways than one.


	17. The Strength of a Woman's Spirit

**Chapter Seventeen: The Strength of a Woman's Spirit**

"Now, female." The Goron Elder glanced in my direction. "It's your turn."

Wait, what? Did he mean with the wrestling? No, no, no, no...I wasn't strong enough for that. There's no way I'd win, even with the Iron Boots. "I..."

"You can't be serious! Wrestle with me if a fight's what you want!" Link protested.

"You've already proved yourself to us. We need the female to do the same or she cannot pass."

Well that's just great. After that long discussion we'd had last night about me coming along and not just standing on the sidelines. We're not off to a very good start.

Well, actually, we were. This morning was really pleasant. I awoke to no one but the other women. All the men were still asleep, so Maya, Jillian and I sat there with tea in the sunshine (they have no coffee here. I'm gonna go on a withdrawl sooner or later. _Need_ coffee.) Then the men got up and it was noisy and loud and I think all three of us immediately got headaches. But it was still nice, I suppose. Normal.

Then there was an earthquake.

And we (by we, I mean Link) decided it was time to climb Death Mountain. Before any more earthquakes. And before I finished my tea.

Damn mountain.

Yes, I'm frusturated, if you couldn't tell.

"There's more than one kind of strength you know. Let me prove mine another way." I said, hoping they would agree. If not, we're in big trouble. And I'd be out of ideas.

"What could you do? To a Goron, strength is everything! And..." Was that hesitation I heard?

"And...what?" I asked, hoping they knew of another way. Or that I'd think of one in the next five seconds.

"Well..." He eyed my chest like he hadn't eaten in days, and Link looked furious... What was his problem?

"You can forget it!" He said.

"H-huh?" I blinked.

"B-but... it looks so tasty!" Wow, I'd never seen a Goron pout before...And wait..._tasty_? He better not be talking about me.

"That tasty looking rock around your neck... I've been guarding this place for I do not even know how long..."

What? Was he talking about...My hand automatically went to the gold necklace around my neck. It was small and delicate, the pendant heart-shaped and very pretty. I'd gotten it from my boyfriend for our first Christmas together...

...And it was the only thing I had left to remind me of my home.

...But I'd made a big deal about coming along, so...that meant I had to sacrifice a few things, like everyone else around here. If that means giving up the only thing that I have left of my world, then so be it.

...It's not...a big deal...right?...

I reached up and pulled my hair back, unclasping the gold chain. Pulling it off, I held it out to the Goron Elder instead of the pouting guard. "Here. If this is what you want, then take it."

He inspected it and gave an inquisitive "Hmm" before eyeing me again, "This is a precious stone?"

I nodded. "You won't find these kinds of stones or this type of metal in this world. It only comes from my own. And it holds a special meaning for me. But it's something I'm willing to give up to earn the right to go on."

"Very well, then..." He gave me one of those trademark Goron grins, "To Gorons, strength... and stones are everything! Your body may be soft, but your spirit is certainly as hard as any rock."

Despite the fact that what I'd just did was a little upsetting (okay, more than a little upsetting, but still), I couldn't help but grin, too, as I glanced over my shoulder at Link. "See? Everything's fine." I said, trying to ignore the look he was giving me.

"You've...seen it, haven't you?" The Goron elder suddenly became serious and the room was hushed.

"You mean the mountain?" I asked. Anyone would be blind not to notice it. It'd been errupting more and more frequently, especially today. The earthquake from earlier was proof of that.

"Er, I knew that..." Had he really not noticed..? I tried to stave off a giggle.

I cleared my throat and tried to be serious now. "What about it? It has the villagers worried enough..."

"Some time ago, our chief, Darbus, and we Goron elders had no choice but to seal the mine..." Recalling the event seemed painful for him... "... with Darbus still inside... He touched our sacred treasure and it drove him to a violent madness..."

That can't be good. "And...you want someone to help him?"

"Though it pains us to leave this task to another, your friend there..." He gestured at Link, "... seems our only hope."

"What do you think?" I asked. "Is this what you want to do, Link?..."

He had that look about him. The kind you see on a man that you can just tell he's determined beyond all reason... I've dealt with enough to know.

...But now he was just being irritating. I pinched him. "Say something!"

"Oww!" He rubbed his arm where I'd pinched him. "I'll do it, I'll do it! You happy?"

"Be a little more enthusiastic about it, why don't you..." I mumbled.

"That is just a man's way! Actions speak louder than words!" Great, now the elder was on his side...

"Then, I shall let you pass...be careful, young ones." The Goron guards moved aside and revealed a small opening in the wall. A burst of heat hit my face and I groaned inwardly. I hate the heat. But it's better than the freezing cold. I am _not_ looking forward to Snowpeak.

Link walked on ahead with his sword and shield already at the ready, "You're the one that said you wanted to go... Don't be complaining now."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know..." I took a deep breath, and went in behind him. Here goes nothing, then.

The blast of heat from before was nothing compared to what it was actually like inside. It had to be well over 100 degrees, at least. I paused to tie my hair back from my face. It always gets frizzy when it's hot like this.

"What..." Ugh...I can't believe he's talking so calmly while killing those gross slug things... "... were you thinking? What good does this do anyone? You let something important to you... so easily..."

"I..." Oh boy. Here we go. "It was something I had to do."

"You should... cherish things like that, that's all." He seemed rather...upset. I wonder why he was so...so...argh. I can't think of a word. It's too dang hot in here.

"Why are you so worried about that?" I asked.

He just walked away.

"Hey, I didn't mean to–"

He pointed to a weird sort of funnel, "See that?"

"H-huh?"

"In about thirty seconds it's going to be shooting flames everywhere. Including here. Hurry, huh?" He had a boyish grin on his face. Well...I guess it was better than him being angry...

"Link..." I guess I'm not going to get anything out of him for now. Might as well drop the subject. Now...he said something about flames shooting out of something...Ah, right. I moved out of the way just in time to avoid a spurt of flames.

We moved down a little ways further until it opened into one large area. I could hardly contain my gasp. "Wow..." The fire pit before us was...there were no words for it. Really. I'd never seen a cavern like this before. "...This is..."

"...Incredible." Link finished. I could only nod. A blast of heat from a jet of lava brought me back down to earth.

"And hot." I pulled a ribbon from my pouch and reached back to tie my hair. Again. It was short enough to keep coming loose. I tied the second ribbon righter. Anything to keep the heat away. "So what now?" I asked.

"We find the Elder." He replied, eyebrow raised, like it was incredibly obvious.

And it was. "No...I meant...where do we start?" The cavern was huge. And really hot.

Link was silent for a moment, then I heard the sharp singing of his sword and I turned to see him drawing a line in the dust and dirt on the ground. "Move back a foot or two. Then jump to this line."

"Huh?"

"This is about how far the jumps are between stones. We need to make sure you can jump it."

Ah. That makes sense. Don't want to fall into the lava pit of doom. That'd make getting home kinda hard. I moved back far enough, then I ran and jumped, making it well past the drawn line. "Well? Good enough for you?"

"I never thought for a moment you couldn't do it." He smiled. "Shall we?"

He jumped first, making it look easy. I took a calming breath and jumped after. My boots touched the stone with a small tap. The next one was just as easy. But the next one had a small ledge before we could jump into the small corridor on the side. I forced myself to look where I was going instead of down. I breathed a sigh of relief when my feet touched the much wider stone.

I leaped down to the metal-made corridor beside Link and immediately hugged the stone wall. "Solid...away from lava..."

"Y'know..." Link said thoughtfully. This cavern is pretty old...I wonder if this iron will hold?..."

He was grinning when I gave him the look of death. "Not funny." I made sure to follow close enough behind him so I could kill him if need be.

The ground rumbled again, much like in the village. "Another earthquake?" He frowned.

"We'd better get moving then." Cause an earthquake inside the volcano wouldn't be good. Who knows how old this place is? I marched on ahead of him.

A sudden flash blinded me.

When I stepped back, there were two hands about the size of my head coming out of the ground from a black hole. Um...I suppose this isn't a good sign? They look like those things from the Wind Waker. What were they?...Oh, yeah. Floormasters.

"Where did those things come from?" I pulled out my halberd.

"Who knows?...Let's just get rid of them and keep going. We don't have time for this. Go for the arm part of it." Link said, drawing his sword.

I nodded. Got it. That's how I did it in Wind Waker. Well, actually it was more like I blindly charged at them and hacked away with my halberd because they freaked me out. A lot. But this is no time to be scared.

Link charged forward and raised his sword to strike. I followed. I suppose I knew what would happen next, but it still caught me off guard. Both the hand whipped forward and sent us flying. Me against the stone wall and Link backwards. They were a lot tougher then I thought.

I picked up my halberd and clumsily moved out of the way. I swung the second after I got my footing, but the blade passed right through it. "Wh-what?" That wasn't supposed to happen...

Link tried it, too, but still his sword passed through it like it wasn't even there. The floormasters lashed out again at both of us, this time grabbing hold of us and keeping us rooted against the wall and the ground. The monster's cold limbs made my skin crawl. Even though it didn't have a face, I knew it was smirking on the inside.

I have a really bad feeling about this.

The other Floormaster began to pull Link towards the black hole. He struggled to get loose, but it was no good. I pulled and tugged, but it was like I was stuck to the monster. Unable to move the hand clamped over my arms and middle. If it were any tighter, I wouldn't be able to breathe.

"Amanda! Are you okay?" Link called from the floor. He was trying to reach his sword, but to no previal.

"Y-yeah...just a little stuck." I replied. I didn't mention that my legs were getting weak and I was feeling a little faint, too. I struggled to stay upright as I made an attempt to reach for my halberd. The moment I leaned, the whole world went with it. "L-Link..." When I looked over, he was blacked out. "Link!" The Floormaster started to pull him farther towards the black hole.

The Floormaster that had hold of me paused for a moment.

I felt a shockwave course through my body, and then everything went black.

* * *

My limbs felt heavy and weak when I came to. Kinda like the feeling I'd had when I'd been sick, except this came with pain, too. Everything hurt.

"Young lady?... Can you hear me?" A voice asked.

And I must be hallucinating. There were voices. I opened my eyes and the world spun. My vision was blurred, but I could see something...or someone standing over me.

"Don't move, there." He said. "You've had your energy drained. You're lucky I found you when I did. You'd be dead if I hadn't."

Dead? Was that what those things were doing? Draining life? That's unusal, because I thought only ReDeads could do that...But then again, nothing's been normal since I got here, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

"Where's...Link...?..." I asked, trying to sit up. A wave of pain made me lie back down.

"Hmm...don't know anyone by that name. But I'm Gor Amoto. A Goron elder." He smiled a little when I tried to sit up again. "And you must be one stubborn young woman."

I sat against the stone. It was the only thing that could keep me up. "Yes...I am...but you can call me Amanda." My head was still swimming, but I could see a little clearer now. "Where am I?"

The Goron elder had a head like a volcano. It was even steaming a little. "You're in the fire caverns of Death Mountain. I found you outside my room, and brought you back in here." He rubbed his chin throughtfully. "Though I must say, I've never seen a woman brave enough to enter these caverns before. Actually, at all. Are you alone?"

"No...my friend...he...promised to help the Goron Darubus. I was with him before we were attacked..." I couldn't help but wonder where Link was now. Was he in the same state as I was? And where was he?

The elder looked grim as he hobbled around the room. "...We can only pray that he is safe as well. These caverns are home to many deadly fire creatures that won't hesitate to attack."

Deadly? Oh, no no no no. Don't tell me that. My worry has just shot up a few notches. "I have to go look for him." He's probably okay, but still...I really didn't want to wait here like some damsel in distress. Nope.

"I can tell my words won't stop you, even if I tried." Gor Amoto said, hobbling over towards me. He was a good foot and several inches shorter than I was. "At least have a red potion before you go. You'll need strength."

I took the potion he offered and gulped it down. Yuck. It still tastes like herbs and mushrooms. And dirt. But I could feel my strength returning a little. I could stand without holding onto anything. I picked up my halberd and slid it into it's holder. Good thing I didn't lose this.

The Goron elder rummaged around in a nearby chest. "And take this map and key to Darubus' room. You and your friend can use it." The steam coming from his back and head puffed a little as he smiled kindly.

"Thank you." I smiled back. "This will help a lot." Especially since I'm good at getting lost.

"There's one more thing you should have..." The Goron was back inside the chest, throwing things out in an attempt to locate something. He lost his balance and fell into the box. "Whoa!"

"Gor Amoto!" I rushed over to help the little Goron. I couldn't see him at all. He was covered by the many healing items and rocks. Probably food to him.

His voice was muffled. "Ah, here it is!" He popped up from the pile and held something out to me.

"What is it?" I asked. It looked like a wrist guard, but it could've covered part of my arm, too. It was brown with a bit of gold stiched as a few symbols.

"It's known as the Hyperwing. It's an item that was crafted many years ago by another tribe of Gorons. It should help defend you from monsters that shoot or throw attacks at you."

I slipped it on and helped Gor Amoto out of the large chest. "But...how do I use it?"

He hobbled over and took my arm. "Hold your arm out like this, then swipe it back towards you. The weapon should appear."

"Okay..." I did as I was told and the symbols on the glove lit up, causing a wing-like blade to appear on the outside arm of it. Whoa. Cool. Does this mean I'm sorta building up my own set of weapons and inventory? I mean, Link has his own. I guess I guess over time, I have been, too. Though as far as weapons go, I only have the halberd and this Hyperwing thing. But it's a start.

"Practice for a moment. Try hitting that pot up there." The goron pointed to a pot along the wall. "The Hyperwing works like a boomerang, and it's aura changes with the elements. You're in a volano, so it's a fire type now."

I pulled my arm back and shot the wing part of it like it was a frisbee. It barely missed it, hitting the wall instead. Guess this is going to take some getting used to, too.

"You'll learn." Gor Amoto chuckled. "It also acts like a shield. If something is thrown your way, throw up your arm and a shield will appear." He tapped his cane and hobbled shakily over to the ladder. "This ladder is your exit. I wish you and your friend luck."

I smiled. "Thank you. You've been so kind to me."

"Think nothing of it. Your friend is helping us, as are you. We all will do nothing short of anything we can for you two."

Gor Amoto patted me on the arm and I began up the ladder. I had to be ready for anything now. I was alone, and I had no idea where Link was. Hopefully not too far ahead of me. I had a gut feeling he wasn't behind me in the cavern.

I grinned to myself as I rolled open the door. I've been through this dungeon in the game before and I don't remember anything too bad between here and the next elder.

It should be a piece of cake.

How hard could these dungeons really be?


	18. An Alternative Solution

**Chapter Eighteen - An Alternative Solution**

I really wish it was a piece of cake. Or better yet, that I could eat a piece of cake. I'm hungry and it'd be a lot easier than navigating this room.

Yeah. Remember when I was bragging before about how easy this was going to be? The idea that I'd need Iron Boots (or _something_ made of iron, at least) never crossed my mind. This is the reason why I could never be a chosen hero or something like that. I'd probably forget to bring my sword.

I paced the room, frustrated. I needed to climb those walls. There was no other way up there. And if I remember correctly, the room after this one is the one with the magnetic ceiling.

"Why couldn't you just be a ladder or something!" I picked up a rock and threw it at the magnetic wall._ 'Stepladder.'_ I could hear my boyfriend saying in my head with a smirk on his face. And then I'd proceed to kick him into next week.

I get agitated easily. Could you tell?

I slipped off my halberd and it's carrier and stared up and the wall, arms folded. Okay. So, we've ruled out the Iron Boots as a possibility. What else have we got around here that's iron and not stuck to some part of the wall?

Doing a check of the room would probably be a good idea. You never know what kinds of things you'll find under the rubble. I found my halberd half buried in a cave in the Faron Woods, remember? Though there wasn't much to this room. The magnetic wall and doors and that was pretty much it.

Still...something told me that there was something else here.

I moved around the room slowly, scraping away dust with my boot as I went, going in a circle around the room and moving towards the center of the chamber. After of few minutes of that, I sighed. This could take forever.

"There's got to be a better way to do this." I muttered, falling against the wall. My backside hit a rock jutting out from the wall. "Oww! Stupid-" I stopped when I saw the rock I hit. It fairly was odd-shaped... I brushed my fingers across it. And it was iron. Too bad it was hooked to the wall. Not that it was big enough to really be used for climbing.

I examined it a bit closer, brushing more of the dust and dirt away from it. Reaching bag into my pouch, I took out the only other tool I had that would work here–my knife given to me by one of the villagers from Ordon. It was small enough to clean off the rusty iron and around it. Five minutes later, I stepped back and surveyed my work.

It looked like...a handle of some sort. Like the kind that you pull and either monsters come down, or something opens or appears. Curious, I examined the rest of the room's walls. After I was satisfied there were no other handles, I wrapped the blade of my knife and put it away.

Now...to see what this thing does. I placed my hands on it and tugged.

Nothing.

Hmm...Maybe if I push on it. I gathered my footing and pushed as hard as I could.

It wouldn't budge.

I flopped against the wall next to the obviously useless switch. If that's even what it was. Well, I'm out of ideas. If only things would go smoothly, then we might be halfway through here by now. And together, not separated.

"I hate you Ganon! You hear me? Hate!" I yelled at the ceiling, or wherever he was watching from (cause I'm pretty sure being evil and all, he did it sometimes for amusement or something like that). "Ugh. Oww!" I yelped as I leaned into the switch again.

I slid down the wall and rested my head against my knees as I drew them up to my chest. Maybe a short nap would do me some good.

It sure sounded really nice right then.

And I could barely keep my eyes open.

But I didn't want to, so I let them slide closed and myself drift off to sleep.

* * *

Mmm. Fresh bread. Sweet bread, too, from the smells of it.

A light breeze picked up and the scent grew stronger. Yum...it smelled like that pumpkin bread that Ilia gave me. Too bad I was dreaming, though. But wait, since when can you smell things in dreams? I sighed and rolled over on my other side. I'm just hungry. Yep. That's it. I just have to wake up.

I opened my eyes. The soft, red, now familiar carpet of the Temple of Time was underneath me. Soft sunlight was streaming through the windows and onto my face.

I sat up and glanced around.

YESSSSS!

I jumped to my feet. This is one dream (er, trip...or...something like that) I know I'm gonna like. No scary, foreboding feeling anywhere, and best of all, there's _food_. I haven't eaten since yesterday. We didn't figure we'd be in the caves for more than a day or so, so we didn't bring too much, food-wise. Shows how much we know.

I picked up my halberd that had been laying beside me and slipped it into it's holder. I was still wearing the hyperwing on my right arm. Hmm. I really need to think of a better name for it. Sounds too futuristic for a Zelda setting. Though it was pretty cool.

Stepping out into the afternoon sunshine, I was greeted by the bustle of the castle town. It was welcoming and pleasant, after the day I'd had so far. I followed the scent of fresh sweet bread to a small bakery on the other side of the fountain. After chatting with the woman (who was very nice, by the way) I bought some of the bread and ate it quickly. There were other things I needed to do.

"Ahh. That's better." I stretched and yawned.

"Have a nice day, dear." The woman waved as I pushed the door open and stepped outside. I smiled and waved. She reminded me of Jillian, only not so violent. And no frying pan in sight.

The sights and sounds of the marketplace were comforting. The warm sunshine beat down on my face, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. People were rushing here and there, chatting and bargaining at stands for the best prices on whatever it was they were buying.

A little girl chased a chicken around the fountain, calling frantically for it to come home. Little dogs ran about, barking in the alleyways as they chased one another. Soldiers stood at ready at the end of the main pathways, one even flirting a little with a young woman. A small smile spread across my face. They reminded me of Hane and Maya.

As wonderful as this place was, though, I felt an odd tug at my heart when I thought of where I'd fallen asleep. Sure, this place was wonderful and I never thought I'd get to see something like this in a million years (Ocarina has always been my favorite game), but...for some reason, I found myself missing the world I'd landed in. It was more than a place I'd accidentally stumbled upon...it really seemed like _my_ world now, too.

Which means it's time to stop dawdling. I needed to get help and go back.

I marched past the soldiers, who, even though they were flirting with girls, could keep a watchful eye on me at the same time and make me feel like I was doing something wrong. Maybe I was? I dunno.

They weren't the problem, though. Someone else was. Someone I didn't like very much at all.

"You look a little lost, miss. Can I help you with something?"

Speak of the devil.

I turned around to find Hero of Time giving me a charming smile, but his pale blue eyes said he wanted to be anything but that. It seemed like he was still a little wary when it came to me, and I (partially) didn't blame him. "Yeah, actually. I may not be lost, but...just...can I talk to you about something?"

He studied me for a moment, then spoke. "Come with me."

"Can't we just talk here?"

"Unless you want what you have to say to me be everyone's business, we'd better not." He tilted his head towards a group of women, some around my age, some definitely older, but all were no doubt listening (though they were all turned away and busying themselves with something or other).

I met his gaze again. "Where did you have in mind?"

Turns out the place he had in mind was the castle. I suppose it was a good idea. Though those women were giving me glares as I left with him. Great. I can't get a break around here, can I?

He glanced over at me as we walked. "So...Where's your friend?..."

"That's part of what I need to explain. It's sort of...complicated..." I sighed. Complicated was an understatement, actually. It was more like...I can't even think of something worse.

"Nothing is that complicated."

You just keep thinking that, buddy. I predict you'll change your mind after you hear what I have to say.

The castle was magnificent. I hadn't been able to see most of it the last time I was here, but that's because I was more focused on getting us out of there as fast as I could. But I could appreciate it now. The elegant draperies, paintings and furniture made it seem all the more unreal.

We went up the main staircase and down one of the halls on the left side. He pulled open a door for me, revealing a bright and sunny room. It was simple furniture, nothing fancy anywhere, actually, but I liked it. It was very comforting. It made you want to lie down and take a nap.

"Do you want anything?" He asked as he sat down on the couch opposite me.

"Huh? Oh, no. I'm fine, thank you." I reached back and pulled the ribbon from my hair and shook it loose, tucking the ribbon back in my pouch. "Sorry. It's just...It's nice and cool here compared to where I've been."

"And where might that be? You neglected to mention that last time." There was a spark of humor in his eyes, but it disappeared so quickly, I think I must've imagined it.

I leaned back a little, trying to relax, though my mind was on where I should've still been. "It's kind of hard when you're accusing my friend of being evil. I'll admit he's pulled some pretty good pranks on me since I've met him, but..." Yeah. About that. Don't ask. Just,_ really_. Don't ask.

"I'll admit I probably jumped into things before thinking about it. But there have been so many things out of place here, that I've been on edge."

"I don't blame you. Honestly, I don't. I'm sure me showing up with someone that looked almost exactly like you didn't help matters."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Almost? He could be my identical twin."

"In looks only." I managed a small smile. "Anyway, I suppose you'd be the older twin then. Considering he and I are both hundreds of years younger than you and everyone else here."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments before he said softly with warning in his voice, "What kind of person do you take me for? A fool?"

I chose my words carefully now. "I never thought for a moment it'd be easy to make you believe me." I said. "But I wouldn't lie about something as serious as this."

"I don't know. I've met few people in my travels that have done just that."

"Then maybe you should listen to everything the young woman has to say before you make your decision." A female voice cut in from the doorway.

We both turned to see who the newcomer was. A woman with crimson colored eyes gazed back at both of us kindly. She wore revealing clothing that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Her silver hair was pulled back, accentuating her sharp features.

I know this woman from somewhere. I know I do. But where?

"It's unlike you to eavesdrop, Impa." The Hero said.

"Forgive me. But I was curious, since I swore I saw this young lady walking with you." She offered me a gentle smile. "I see you're back on your feet. I'm glad to see it, considering the last time we met was under rather horrible circumstances."

Impa. The Sage of Shadow. That's it. How could I have forgotten? I guess it's just weird seeing these people walk around and talk to me, rather than stand there and not say anything. "You're the one who gave me the medicine. Thank you."

She chuckled. "You're a stubborn young woman, though. I would've had to force feed it to you if you'd said no again."

I lowered my head a little in embarrassment. My parents had to do the same thing when I was little. I hated medicine and didn't take it if I could help it. If I'd been about to walk then, I'd probably have run out, bleeding or not. "S-sorry."

"It's quite all right. Don't worry yourself about it so much." Impa sat down next to me on the couch. "Now, then. What's this little chat about? You have a troubled look about you."

"It's a long story..." I mumbled, ignoring the look from the Hero I'm sure I was being given.

When I looked up, I saw that wasn't the case at all. He studied me for another moment, then got up from the couch to shut the door, and the terrace doors as well. Then he sat back down and gazed at me intently. "All right. We're listening. Take your time."

Time. Hah. That's funny. I'm not even sure how much of it had passed back in the temple, or how much I had left before I was left behind. Or if I'd _already _been left behind.

...No, Link would never do that.

I took a deep breath and let it out.

For the next twenty minutes or so, I explained everything that had happened; my arrival, the legend of Midna's people and Link's involvement in it, the attacks on the villages, the recent time travel experiences between there and here, and my predicament in the Goron mines. The only thing I left out was the fact that I knew what was going to happen (well, sort of) in the end.

"That's..." He seemed stunned. "Nothing like this has ever happened before."

"I'm sure it hasn't." I managed a small smile. "It's unusual circumstances, even for this place."

"Indeed." The sage agreed quietly. "The monsters alone trouble me. They're shadow creatures, not fire. They shouldn't be able to survive in those conditions, let alone fight both of you off." She rose from the couch. "I will go inform the Princess of all this. We'll see if we can't figure out what's going on."

"Thank you. It's a little too much too worry about, especially with everything going on back where I am." Or was. Or whatever.

"Then let us worry about it for now." The Hero of Time said. "You worry about where you are."

Yep. In an empty, boiling hot room with no way out. Thanks for reminding me. "You could call me by my name instead of "you" all the time, you know."

"Which is?"

"Amanda." I replied, giving him the first real smile since we'd met. "Nice to meet you."

"Pretty name. Uncommon here, though." Impa said. "Is it ?, or...?"

I shook my head. "No. It's Latin. It's from my world. I–" A sharp pain seemed to shoot throughout my body on my side. I gasped, doubling over in pain.

"Miss Amanda?"

They, and the room faded as quickly as if I'd been shaken awake. And I was. By...

Oh, dear God.

"Hello, Amanda." Ganondorf said with a sadistic grin. "Miss me?"


	19. Playing His Twisted Game

**Chapter Nineteen - Playing His Twisted Game**

It was him. Right here. How did he find me?

Oh, right. He's Ganondorf.

Shut up. My brain is fried. I just got woken up. And not to something pleasant, mind you.

"What's this? No hello back?" He asked.

I kept my mouth clamped shut. Mostly from fear, but partly because I'm stubborn.

He was close to me. Really close. It scared the hell out of me, because this man was _huge_. I'd managed to keep my distance last time, and I hadn't really been paying attention because I'd been, y'know, trying not to get killed.

But now, he really made me feel tiny. I was only about five feet and five inches, but he must've been well over six feet tall, and was strongly built with huge arms and legs. One of his hands was probably the size of my _whole_ head. Plus he wore armor over most of his body, and that made him seem even more intimidating.

It didn't help that I was trapped between him and the wall, and there was only about two or three inches of space between us.

"I'm impressed that you're still alive, girl. Most women would've given up by now."

I just frowned. If I'd had the courage, I would've probably told him off, but I couldn't make my lips move.

"What's the matter? Not in a very talkative mood?" I slowly started sliding my hand over in the direction of my halberd, but he caught hold of my arm and pinned it against the wall.

He grinned sadistically as I tried to get free. "Come now, I don't intend to kill you yet. No need for violence."

I managed to choke out a few words. "I already told you, I'm not telling you anything."

"I don't need you to." Huh?...What did he mean by that? He leaned in close to my ear, and it made me shudder. "I have other ways of making you tell me."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

He let go and I took that opportunity to dash away and put some space between us. I half expected him to grab me again, but he just kept a close eye on me from a distance. "Does it matter, really? You can run back and forth between time and you still won't stop me." I gasped. He knew what I'd been doing. He chuckled. "Don't look so surprised, my dear Amanda. I see everything that's going on here. You can run to him all you want, but in the end, I'll still get what I want."

"How did you even do that? The ocarina of time is supposed to be in safe keeping!"

"It wasn't the ocarina that did this. It was _you_."

M-me? "B-but how? I don't have any thing that would–"

"Like I said, it was you that did this. When you fell into this world, everything shifted and you somehow managed to open a hole to the past."

Okay. It was confusing, it didn't make sense, really, but the only thing I really needed to know was that it happened when I accidentally fell into this world. Again, the odd things happening here were my fault. Great.

"Lucky for you, I don't have any interest in the past..."

None? It's a little odd for him to be saying that, isn't it?

"...At the moment."

Shoot. I knew that was too good to be true.

"However...I could send you home before all of this comes to that...For a price, of course."

Whoa. Sudden change of topic there. Wasn't expecting that. Still, this wasn't a topic that I was going to change my mind on. Ever. I don't betray people I care about. And I already cared far more than I should. "Forget it."

He frowned darkly. "You might want to reconsider that answer, girl."

"No, thanks." Everything in me was screaming at me to shut up, but I kept on going anyway. "You can try to kill me all you want, but I'm not saying a word."

It registered in my mind that that was probably a stupid thing to say, but it was a little too late to take it back. He was furious now and I backed further away to avoid anything he might and probably would do to me.

Backing away didn't save me, though. He moved forward swiftly and grabbed me, turning and slamming me against the wall hard. "Don't tempt me." He snarled, his large hand around my neck. It was making it hard to breathe and I was starting to panic. After a few more seconds, he let go of me and I fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

Maybe it _would_ a good idea to learn to keep my mouth shut around him. I might live longer.

He glared at me a little longer before backing away. "Fine. If you're not going to tell me, then I'll make you use your knowledge."

I sucked in a deep breath and looked up to find him above me now. I mean, actually off the ground. Floating and smirking at me. Almost like Midna would've, but she wasn't evil. Most of the time. I took in another breath. "What do you–"

The light in the room darkened until I could barely see my hand in front of my face. Ganon had disappeared, and an unsettling feeling drifted about and my heart began to race. Where had he gone? And just what was going on now?

I heard him laugh. "I suggest you get moving. You don't want to take your chances in the dark now, do you?"

Uhh...no, not really. Considering this already had not gone well.

I wasted no time in reaching behind me and taking hold of the rusty old handle and turning it, pushing it in as far as it would go. There was a click, followed by a rumbling sound. I jumped about a foot in the air when the wall opened behind me, revealing a dark tunnel.

I mean, really. It was pitch black. I shivered. Not from the cold, but from the eerie feeling stemming from it. I was not going to enjoy this. Who knows what's in there?

His creepy laugh echoed throughout the room and sent shivers down my spine.

I think I'll take my chances with the tunnel.

I turned and darted into the hole in the wall. As soon as I was completely inside, the small tunnel rumbled as the door slid shut behind me. I guess there's no going back now. Keeping my hand on the wall, I felt my way forward, step by step.

After about the tenth step, the ground sloped considerably and I almost lost my balance. I frantically grabbed for the wall to regain my footing.

"What was that?" I knelt down and crawled forward, feeling the ground slope down and disappear about ten steps later. Well, that's just great.

Now where was I supposed to go?

"Not even five minutes and I'm already stuck." I sighed. I can't get frustrated now. Gotta keep going. My Hyperwing lit up when I shot it, so I aimed and shot a few feet in front of me and down towards the ground.

I was right assuming that there was a hole in front of me. But it also wasn't a very large gap. I could easily jump it and land on the other side without a problem.

I stepped back carefully to get a running start. I jumped and landed on the other side of the hole with a soft _thump_.

"There." I said, satisfied. "That wasn't so hard." I started to walk forward now, but something sticky like a cobweb clung to me when I tried to pass. Shaking my head, I pulled it off my face and clothes. "What the?..."

I used the Hyperwing to shoot ahead of me so I could see. What I found froze me in my tracks.

Spiderwebs.

I turned and shot down the hole again, just to make sure there were none anywhere. This time there was a rustling sound from below. It made my skin crawl and I took off running without waiting to see if I would follow.

I _really_ don't like spiders.

The rustling became louder and turned into scuttling. Now I knew it was following me. I'd probably made it angry when I hit it. I glanced over my shoulder to find glowing eyes staring back at me from the darkness.

Oh, man. _Run_!

If my feet could move me any faster, it still wouldn't be enough. The giant monster was fast. And the tunnel started to slope upwards, which made me go a little slower. I scrambled up the slope as quickly as I could, though that was slowly becoming not enough.

The tunnel stopped about ten yards later. I felt along the wall and there was another lever that opened the wall. I glanced over my shoulder. The giant spider was coming faster than I'd ever seen a bug move in my life. I reached around and turned the lever and pushed it in.

The wall rumbled open and I fell through it onto my back. The spider was getting closer now. If I didn't do something quick, then I'd have to fight it. I reached back up on the other side and pulled the lever again. The door rattled shut just as the monster was about to jump out at me. I could hear it clawing at the wall on the other side.

I breathed a sigh of relief and fell back down onto my back. I think I'm just gonna lay here for a second. It's gonna take a few minutes to just catch my breath and get my heart rate to slow down.

"Geez...If I knew it was this difficult to do this kind of stuff..." I opened my eyes to find a creepy one-eyed spider-like creature starting at me. It had long legs made for jumping and pincers that looked like they would hurt if they hit you.

I screamed and jumped to my feet. "M-more spiders..." Though as soon as I was upright I recognized them as Tektites. They had looked harmless in the game, but up close, they were just _freaky_.

I reached behind me and grabbed my halberd. The Tektite stared at me for a few more seconds before taking a huge leap towards me. Gripping my weapon with both hands, I made a large swing and managed to hit it successfully. The axe part of my halberd ripped through it and left it in two.

It wasn't a pretty scene. Let's just say they don't poof into smoke like in the game. Be glad Twilight Princess isn't as graphic as it could be.

The only downside to killing these things, was that it attracted the others. Lucky for me, a group of them was easier to hit and it didn't take long to dispose of them. I did it rather sloppily, but it got the job done. I put my halberd back in it's case and surveyed the room. The area was divided into two sides by a small pool of water, with round stepping stones of sorts for crossing and a caged off area with crates bobbing in the water. The door on the other side of the room was tightly shut, and there was a switch up above that more than likely opened it.

It'd be simple if I'd had the Iron Boots to climb the magnetic walls here, but I didn't. So I had to find another way to reach the switch. If I could only get onto something high enough to hit the switch, I wouldn't need to use the magnetic wall.

I wonder if those crates in the water would be enough if I stacked them? There were several, but I'd have to dive underwater to reach them.

And I hate deep water.

But it was either that or wait to be rescued. I didn't have to think about that one too much. I'm not the damsel-in-distress type. I'm more the I-can-do-it-myself-so-I-don't-need-your-help type of girl.

Sitting down on one of the stepping stone circles, I slipped my halberd and it's holder off, stripping down until I was barefooted and only wearing my black pants and white shirt. The water made me shiver. It was freezing, which was odd for a_ volcano _fire temple. You'd think the water here would be really hot.

I took a deep breath and dove under, swimming towards the fence and clinging to it as I swam back up. I grabbed one of the crates and used my weight to push it underwater and back out the hole in the fence. I let go of it and went back for the others.

After a few more minutes and another several dives underwater, I had all the crates and a key I'd spotted in a chest under there, too, which was now tucked safely away in my back pouch. I dressed quickly and began to stack the crates close to the ledge with the switch.

I was worried that they wouldn't hold, but they did. And they reached. I was able to hit the switch with the Hyperwing and the gate slid open.

I gathered up my halberd and pulled open the next door.

Fresh air blew against my cheeks when I stepped through. I looked up to see an opening in the volcano and blue sky peeking through the fluffy white clouds. In front of me were the mine's loading docks.

And dozens of Bublins with flaming arrows.

I sighed, frustrated. Not _more_ monsters. Maybe I'd been exaggerating about the number, but I was seriously getting sick of this place.

My path onto the docks was blocked by aging wood that looked easy enough to break. I used my halberd to do so and stepped onto the docks.

"Eek!" I jumped when a flaming arrow landed at my feet, stepping back when two more followed. This would be so much easier with someone's help or a better shield than my Hyperwing provided.

You know, the fact that I knew this temple pretty well should make going through here easy, but it was becoming increasingly difficult without the necessary items. He'd probably counted on that when I crawled into the tunnel. That I'd give up and tell him what he wanted so he'd get me out of here.

And you know that feeling you get when you just know someone is watching you? Yeah, I'm getting that now. Along with the feeling that that someone was thoroughly enjoying this.

This really _was_ all a game to him. He actually thought it was _amusing_.

And that really pissed me off.

Okay. Time to forget the whole reality thing for a moment as much as possible and concentrate on getting out of here and going about this his way–as if it was a game to be played and won.

Hey, if it's a game he wants, he'll be sorely disappointed when he finds out how good I am at it. I may not be all that great of a fighter, but I was always good at solving the puzzles and riddles, and creating strategies.

I stepped back a bit so I was out of range of the Bublin's arrows. I currently had no map, but I really didn't need one to get through here. Just a plan. There wasn't really anything I needed in this area except a key, and there was nothing blocking my path. The only problem here was one thing: monsters. Lucky for me, the weapon I'd been given by the Goron Elder doubled as a shield of sorts. I'd bet I could make it though here without any major battles.

Hopefully. I never know anymore whether something that should be still will come charging at me.

I crept into view and sidestepped a arrow that came flying at me. I used the Hyperwing to knock over the Bublin that had shot the arrow. I wasn't close enough to kill it, but it was enough for me to run past. I sprinted towards a ladder and launched myself down it to avoid a barrage of flaming arrows.

I patted down my hair, making sure they didn't singe it. Hmm...they have a longer range than normal. I'll have to keep that in mind.

The next ladder I needed to go up was facing west and I'd have to climb into the water to get to it. I shuddered. It was murky and dark, and probably either ice cold or burning hot. But this was no time to be chicken. I needed to get to the next elder as quickly as possible. When the Water Temple comes around, you can bet I'll be complaining the whole way.

I slipped into the water, clinging the whole time to the dock. Taking a deep breath, I pushed off and swam to the other ladder as fast as I could. I _really _didn't want to stick around to see if there were any fish with sharp teeth that could chomp on my feet. The moment I reached the top of the ladder, I was immediately under fire from the bublins. Raising my arm to guard me, I moved carefully up the gantry ramp.

The shield wasn't visible unless something came close, but it was definitely there. It tired my arm quickly, because the sheer force from the multiple arrows would push me back a little each time it hit. I started having to watch my footing so I didn't fall off the docks.

The key and the Beamos was tucked away in a small rocky alcove nearby, but there was a problem now: I couldn't turn my back without either getting hit by the Bublin archers or the Beamos. Unless my timing was just right, I would certainly be hit by one or the other.

I tried to keep my distance as I waited for the Beamos to turn around. At the same time, I kept the Bublin's arrows at bay with the shield. But my feet kept sliding backwards from each round.

My foot caught on something and I fell backwards.

I could hear the Beamos turn without even looking. The scraping of stone made me freeze, and I could almost feel the monster take a breath before it fired. One of the bublins loaded another shot and aimed for me at the same time. So I did the only thing I could think of.

I pushed to my feet and rolled out of the way.

The beam hit a pile of crates and I thought it would burn right through it. But for the moment, I didn't. The key chest was sitting in the corner behind me and I had to force myself up to get to it, when I just really wanted to lay on the ground.

Did I ever mention how scary this place is? No? Well it's scary as all hell. I'm fortunate I haven't gotten any major injuries yet.

I fiddled with the lock on the chest and pulled it open, revealing the small key lying inside. Just as I tucked it away safely in my pouch, there was a sound like an explosion behind me. I turned to see what used to be two of the crates, now lying in pieces. The Beamos finally must've broken through them.

Which means I _really _should get moving before the others explode right next to me.

Time to make a mad dash for the locked door.

I held the arm up with the Hyperwing as I ran out from behind the crates. I could feel the heat of the beam as it hit the shield. Then came the arrows. I tried to ignore the strain on my arm as I ran towards a narrow plank ramp. At the top was the keyed door.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I slipped the small key into the lock and pulled the chains off the door.

The sight that would be greeting me was welcoming. I nearly fell over from happiness. This was it. I'd been almost burned, I'd had to dive underwater for long enough periods of time, (which I hate), and there'd been spiders.

But, _finally_. The last room before the second Elder.

There was only one small obstacle left that stood between me and the next key room: a long, rotating platform that had metallic squares for the Iron boots to grip onto. And nothing for me to hold onto.

I stood there for a moment, counting the time it took for the platform to flip around to each side. About fifteen seconds. Unless I was counting fast. But I might be able to make it if I run really fast. If I don't make it...

It's a long way down. _Long_ way. You do the math.

But running across it is the only chance I have. It'll take days if I just wait here to be found. And we all know I'm no good at waiting, so...plan A it is.

Hey, I've made it this far, right?

I waited until the platform started to turn around again. I could feel my heart pounding in my ears. There was a creak of the door somewhere below where I'd come in, but I wasn't paying attention. The second the platform was in place, I took off running.

I counted in my head as I ran. It was longer than it looked from the other side, and I was only halfway across.

I was up to twelve seconds in my head when the platform started to turn again. My feet started to slide and I did the only thing I could think of. I ran across and grabbed the edge as it was turning so I'd have something to hang onto.

Well, for the next twelve seconds anyway.

My mind raced as I struggled to hang on and think of a way out of this.

But the platform started to turn again. And I was losing my grip. It'd only be a matter of seconds before I'd fall.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "Link...I'm sorry..." I whispered.

An enormous BOOM of metal sounded on the other side of the platform; the one now facing the ceiling. Out of nowhere, the giant table started turning back the way it came. It was at that moment that I lost my grip and began to slide slowly towards impending doom. I would have been killed if it wasn't for my halberd scraping and sticking itself between one of the magnetic tiles.

A voice suddenly shouted from under me. "Run!"

As the rotating plate started to level, I instinctively listened and ran as fast as I could towards the other end. I turned to find who'd called to me and saw as it slowly turned itself upside down, revealing a certain pointy-eared farm boy.

I wasn't sure what to do first. Hug and kiss the solid floor, or run and hug him. I was still kinda in shock from, y'know, almost falling to my doom, but I ended up just sinking to the ground and staying there until he stepped off of the platform.

I looked up at him and mouthed a thanks between gasping, to which he huffed, "You owe me 20 Rupees."

Well that wasn't the reaction I'd expected.. Until I saw his wallet was empty and realized it must have fallen when he was upside down. Apparently his magic pockets weren't so magic after all.

I reached back to get into my pouch and my hands hit a rock. I tossed that to him instead. "I have something better. Here. A snack."

He stared at it for a second then back at me, trying to stay serious but failing miserably. "No thanks. My doctor told me I need to stay off of these. Not good for my health." I giggled and ducked as he tossed it back at me.

I flopped against the rock and breathed a sigh of relief that we were both okay. He offered me a hand up and I took it. He pulled me to my feet easily and I dusted off my clothes. "Shall we go, then?" I turned towards the next door.

He took my hand to stop me. "I'm glad you're safe." He said.

I smiled. "I'm glad you are, too."

Midna floated up from his shadow and leaned on his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're both fine. Stop worrying about each other so much and focus on getting that Fused Shadow. You'd be out of danger and it'd be a whole lot faster than just sitting here and talking."

She had to ruin the moment. He sighed and I rolled my eyes.

We weren't even at the mini-boss yet and I was already thinking of tossing her into the lava..

She huffed a second later and he moved to open the next door. Poor Link. He looked exhausted. I could only imagine what he'd been through before getting here.

And there was still a lot more to go.

Hopefully the rest of it wouldn't be as bad as my previous experience.

Hopefully.


	20. Dangoro

**Chapter Twenty - Dangoro**

Gor Ebizo was old, bent and frail-looking, but that didn't stop him from speaking as fiercely as a bull about what had been going on lately in this world. Which was a lot, it seemed, because from the moment we'd stepped in the door, he hadn't really stopped talking.

Despite this, he was friendly, and we got another piece of the key as soon as we'd explained who we were and what we were doing there.

"This key will open the door to the room to where our leader is being held, Brudda." He took the other key piece Gor Amoto had given me and fit it together with the new one before handing it back to Link.

"It looks like there's only one more piece to it." Link said, studying it carefully. "Am I right?"

"Yes. That key part rests with Gor Liggs, but there's another you need to pass before you can reach him and the final chamber."

"Another?"

"He holds a weapon that will be useful to you, but be careful. It is a treasure among us Gorons."

I just stood quietly and listened. I hadn't been feeling too well since we came in here. The room spun and I wobbled a little.

"You okay, Amanda?" Link asked, concern growing on his face and in his eyes.

Gor Ebizo tilted his head towards the corner. "The female can rest over there if she's tired, Brudda."

I shook my head wearily, my vision getting slightly blurry. "Not tired, just...lightheaded..." Staying upright proved to be a challenge. My legs felt like jelly. When did I get so weak?

Link slipped an arm around my shoulder. "Come on. You need to rest."

"What about you?" I yawned as I climbed onto the pile of fabric in the corner. It was soft and the stone was heated, probably from being in the volcano so long.

He smiled. "I'll sleep soon. Don't worry."

I nodded and pulled the fabric up around my shoulders. I was getting so sleepy that I didn't feel like asking anymore.

I heard his footsteps going away and both of their muted voices, but after that I drifted off.

* * *

It was cold.

A soft breeze brushed against my cheek and I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself to keep warm. My blankets were somehow gone. Maybe they'd just fallen off? I sat up to grab them, but my hand touched the end of a hand-braided rug instead. I opened my eyes to find myself in a dark room with a grand fireplace and furnishings. The fire in the fireplace was slowly dying out, but it provided some warmth.

I pushed myself to my feet and went over to the open window. It was still dark in the sky, but what was below gave me a clue to where I was. "I see...So I didn't go back this time."

A female voice spoke up from behind me. "Forgive me for bringing you here. But I was curious."

I spun around to find a young woman around my age standing in the middle of the room. Her soft features and crown left no doubt in my mind as to who it was. "Of course, your highness. If I was in your place, I'd probably do the same thing. But..." I paused. "May I ask you a question?"

"Anything that might set your mind at ease, you may ask. Within reason, of course." It was a serious answer, but Zelda's sapphire-colored eyes sparkled with humor as she pulled off the hood of her cloak.

I considered my words carefully before speaking. "How did I get here? I understand that I caused some kind of rift, but it was to..."

"The past?"

"Yes."

She nodded. "I suspected, but I was not sure. The Ocarina of Time has been acting strangely lately. That was the first hint that something was amiss." Zelda placed a hand on my shoulder. "But do not worry. It is in no way your fault. The princess and the Hero of Time can handle things on their end. As for the way you got here, I used my power to bring you to me instead of the rift pulling you there instead."

"Oh." That made sense. Ganon had done something similar before.

"I daresay there will be a ruckus if the young wolf and the Hero of Time ever meet, though. I've seen what he looks like from a distance as a human. Exactly like all the old statues and paintings of the hero."

I grinned. "Don't tell him that. They've already met and they didn't...like each other very much."

"Really. I'd love to see something like that." Her face lit up with a small laugh. It spoke volumes of her character to be able to smile when she was under such dire circumstances. And I could tell it was genuine, not fake like some people tend to be. I liked her a lot. "But speaking seriously for a moment, I will do anything to help the Link and you. If something should happen that the doctor cannot fix, come to the castle. I can at least heal your wounds. There is a waterway beneath the city you can use to get inside."

"Are you speaking from experience, your highness?" I teased.

"I tried escaping through there once when I was young. Some of the lessons I had to sit through were completely stifling."

"I understand that. But if I may ask, what was it that was so hard to handle?"

Zelda offered me a weak smile as she said, "Needlepoint."

A whole hour of pulling thread through fabric? No wonder she tried to run. I'd want to escape, too.

Her expression became serious again as she continued. "If I may ask a favor of you, Miss Amanda..."

"Anything."

She stood gracefully and went over to her beside table, pulling the drawer all the way out. Setting the contents on the bed, she slid a finger along the bottom of the drawer and pulled a panel off, revealing a secret compartment. From it, she pulled out an aged piece of paper.

"I should hope you never have need of this, but...I have a feeling you might." The princess handed it to me. "It's the whereabouts of the lost Shadow Temple that the Sage of Shadow guarded long ago. Only a Sheikah may open the passage to it."

"Why is it so heavily protected?"

"There was an incident when my father was a young king that lead him to believe something dangerous taking form in there. He had no choice but to have the sages seal it and hide the entrance."

"I see. And that's why you hid the map as well?"

"Yes. Please be careful if you are ever in there. It is a beautiful temple, but it is full of traps to keep out intruders."

I curtsied respectfully. "I'll do my best to keep it safe, your highness."

"Please, no need for formalities. I'm just Zelda to you."

"Then please just call me Amanda."

"Very well." The princess moved towards the back of the room, near the open window. "Now, let me get you back to where you were. You need to rest, I'm sure. It will be dawn soon and the guard will come up here on his rounds."

It was almost dawn? Really? I'd lost track of all time in the fiery volcano. I didn't know whether it had been days or weeks. All I knew was I was ready to get back to that soft blanket and sleep equally as long.

"Ready?" Zelda asked.

I nodded, trying to contain a yawn. She held a gloved hand out and a bright, warm light filled my vision. Before I drifted off again, I heard her utter a few last words:

"Thank you."

* * *

"Amanda..." I could feel Link gently shaking me awake. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. I had just gone to sleep for goodness sake. Why can't these people leave me be? "Amanda, come on. Talk to me."

"About what? I was sleeping. There's not much to say."

"You were mumbling something in your sleep. Nothing happened, did it?"

When I realized he was probably thinking of the time I'd been attacked, I made more of an effort to answer. Pulling the blanket off my face, I shook my head. "No. Nothing to worry about, I promise." I yawned and stretched. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Not more than a few hours."

"A few hours should suffice. Any more than that isn't necessary." Gor Ebizo hobbled over with a cup full of something and handed it to me. Whatever it was, it was steaming hot and smelled of spices. "Drink this, little female. It will give you strength you need for the rest of the journey."

I took a sip. It tasted like a mixture of a cinnamon-like spice, pumpkin, and something else that I couldn't identify. It certainly was...interesting to say the least. It wasn't too bad, though. I could feel it giving me energy as I kept sipping it. "What's in this?"

"Cinnamon, Ordon Pumpkin, and...ground-up rock." Link tried to contain a smile.

"Oh..." I set it in my lap, nodding. Suddenly it wasn't so appealing.

"I tried to tell him that we don't eat rocks like they do, but he assured me it was only a tiny pinch. It shouldn't hurt anything. Drink it. It should help you wake up and give you a little energy." He stood. "We should get going. While you finish that, I'll get everything together."

I made a face, but did as I was told. It really did help. I could feel warmth and strength flow through my body as I drank it. When I finished, I handed the cup back to the Goron and gathered up my pouch, halberd, and the Hyperwing.

After thanking Gor Ebizo for everything and saying our goodbyes, we climbed the ladder to the top of the shrine room and pulled open the door. I sighed when a fresh blast of heat hit my face. Here we go again.

"Don't start whining now." Midna hissed from Link's shadow. "You just got up from your nap."

I clenched a fist and ignored her. There were much more pressing problems to deal with. Such as how we're both going to get across this wall and down to the door.

"Well, this is a problem." I muttered to myself.

"I'm gonna need to carry you."

"Wh-what?" I shot him a look that said, "You have got to be kidding me.".

"You can hit me for this later." He scooped me up in both arms before I could even complain! Actually, he was holding me so tight, I wasn't complaining... Even if I wanted to, the blood was already rushing to my head and I could barely think straight. I clung to him for dear life as he crossed the magnetized wall, his boots clunking with every labored step.

I held back a small scream as he pried his boots away from the wall and dropped down to a wooden ledge. I had to lean against the wall as soon as he set me on my feet to make sure I didn't fall over. "That...wasn't fun."

"Haa hahaha!"

I put my hands on my hips. "What the heck is so funny?"

Midna couldn't stop cackling. "Y-your face! Priceless!"

I saw my reflection glint off of one of the shiny magnetic surfaces and saw my face still in much the same frightened position it had been in.

I shot a glare back over my shoulder at her and tried to regain some kind of composure that didn't make me look like such a wimp. I wasn't, really. Just when it came to heights.

Maybe in some way, playing Zelda had let me experience those things without any sort of fear? But still, Link was standing right in front of me, looking as real as someone you'd see walking down the street, so how was he able to do so many amazing things without breaking a sweat?

I shook my head. I really shouldn't be thinking about things that would only make me more attached to these people. I'd be going home soon and caring about all this would only make it harder.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" I asked with a slight smile. "I didn't mean to cling so hard to you."

"Nah." He'd already started prying the next door open and dust and dirt were starting to fly, "Growing up with Ilia pretty much prepared me for anything. She'd get tired and make me carry her out of the woods, digging holes in my shoulders with those nails of hers all the while."

"Oh." I'd almost forgotten about Ilia. Almost. "And you listened to her?"

He tilted his head towards me, "Have you seen the size of Bo?"

I had to laugh a little at that. It was pretty funny imagining Ilia threatening Link with the wrath of her father if he didn't carry her around. Actually, it was funny to imagine her threatening him period.

"I'll have to get some tips from her before I go home." I said, wiping a tear from my eye and grinning. "Not that my boyfriend isn't good to me. He's got sort of a hero's complex." I smiled outwardly, though I missed him like crazy on the inside, and I wondered what he was doing without me...

Midna's ears perked. "You? A boyfriend?" It wasn't at all malicious or sarcastic. Actually, she looked kind of relieved.

"You've mentioned him a lot." Link turned and focused a little more attention "What's he like?"

"Huh? Why do you care all of a sudden?"

Midna answered for him, "N-No reason!"

"Hmm...you really want to know, then?..." I smiled wider now, though my heart tugged at the thought of him. "Well, he's got dark hair, and the most gorgeous brown eyes I've ever seen on a man, especially when he smiles. He's very charming and kind, but I thought he was kind of a jerk when I met him, though he proved me wrong in time. He's stubborn as all hell and doesn't let me have my way all the time, which is probably a good thing." I snapped back to reality. "Ah! Sorry. I didn't mean to drone on."

Link just shrugged, "I was more interested in whether or not he was a swordsman, but alright."

"Really? Are you sure you're not just jealous?" I teased.

"Please. I have more important things to worry about." More important things like killer slugs, I suppose. His sword cut through it in kind of a gross fashion.

"Sorry. I was just teasing."

He just moved forward without saying a word. Again with the being ignored! What was with him? Honestly, it was starting to get on my nerves. That is, until Midna floated over beside me. I swear I saw her blushing, though the mask kept most of her face out of sight.

"H-He sounds nice..."

"He is." I replied, watching the pink tinge to her cheeks disappear as fast as it came. Don't tell me Midna...Nah. Until I get more evidence that she possibly likes him, I'm gonna keep my mouth shut.

"Hey!" I took Link's arm gently to get his attention. "What's the matter?"

His eyes shot at me as fiercely as a snake about to strike. "Trouble." His sword was already drawn, though his shield still hung on his back

Right. Giant armored Goron. Whatever. I took my halberd in my hands and braced for what I knew was coming, but my mind wouldn't stop going back to the fact that he seemed mad at me.

"Hmmmmh? Who goes there?" Whoa. The Goron had looked big on a TV screen, but wow. Now it looked more like a mountain with arms! "Whoa...human? What business does a human have coming here? None! No business! This is a forbidden place! I will protect this treasure from you!"

I'm not sure how to explain what happened next... He had the grace of an elephant tripping on a banana peel. That's the best I can manage. Either way, he landed on the platform and snapped the chains clean off... without Link.

It splashed into and rippled the lava below us.

"... I meant to do that." And now the mountain was lying through his teeth. "Come and face me if you are a man!"

He jumped. He jumped? Why am I surprised...?

"Are you nuts?" Midna yelped from beside me and we stared down at the two clashing titans. I suppose if I hadn't known the lava would rise, I'd be pretty scared for him, too.

"Yeah. I think that's about right." I replied with a sigh.

"You! Why aren't you helping?" If you've ever been glared at by an ethereal blob, I don't recommend it.

"I don't think he'd like that right now." For some reason, he'd seemed a little miffed from my teasing.

The Goron seemed to glare at Link through its helmet as it grinded its knuckles together in a failed attempt to intimidate him. Link seemed just as determined, with sword at the ready. He hadn't even bothered to remove his shield.

He might have seemed upset, but he also was being stupid. No shield? Okay, if he doesn't take it out in the next minute, I'm jumping down there. A single punch from that guy could knock his head clean off!

"A-Are you ready to be squished to bits, little one?" The look in Link's eyes must have startled him. I knew why, if it was the same one he'd given me earlier.

Link stood unflinchingly and spoke so calmly that I could barely make out his words. "Are you done?"

"Grrr! Why you...!" The Goron wound up a punch with his right arm, and swung a mighty blow. But Link wasn't there to take it. He dove under it and swung his sword as hard as he could with both hands across Dangoro's chest and right arm. Dangoro yelped in pain and started to fall back, but to our surprise, he didn't fall into the lava. He still stood firm, but how?

Link stood in disbelief as Dangoro laughed off his injury. "That was pretty good... for a human."

I blinked. He was good. Really good. But I was pretty sure that Dangoro wasn't going to back down so easily. He might have been fast, but that wasn't going to be enough in this case. The Goron had a look in his eye that I didn't like at all.

Dangoro leapt up and, as if that hadn't caused what was essentially now a boat to rock enough, he slammed back down on to the arena, causing it to point nearly skyward. It wasn't long before Link was desperately slipping down the completely smooth surface of the platform.

"Link!" I hated watching like this. But I knew there was nothing I could do. Especially when he wasn't talking to me. I'd just have to sit this one out.

I felt a sharp tug on my hair. "Do something, dummy!" Midna yelled in my ear.

"I'm thinking!" I snapped back at her. What could I do that didn't involve me jumping down there and getting one (or both of us) killed?

The only way to straighten out the arena was to knock the Goron off. I searched the small area for a solution. Rocks? Nope. Too heavy for me. And I might hit Link instead of Dangoro. Actually, Dangoro would probably just eat it. And...that's all I had to work with.

"What's that?" Midna grabbed my right arm, yanking me to the side a little.

"Oww! Hey! It's something one of the Goron elders gave me for protection. It's kind of something like..." Hmm. Wait...now I know what this thing is like. but how to explain it? I can't just say it's something like out of Majora's Mask. Which it was. And really cool, too. I didn't have to wear an Zora mask to use it. "It shoots at things. That's all I can say for now."

"So use it!"

For what? She didn't seem to get the concept that there was nothing I could really do with it. I gave the chamber a once-over just to satisfy her. My eyes rested on something hanging over me.

Hey, that might just work.

"If you'll grab me that chain from over there." I said, motioning over my shoulder at what was left of the chains that had held the platform above the lava. "I need to get a good shot, because I'll probably only have one."

The chain links were big enough to put my foot through and get a good grip, so I was only a little nervous about jumping onto it. Just a little. I took a deep breath and hopped onto it, letting it swing back out to it's original place.

I managed to take one hand off the chain and steady myself to shoot. I was above and a little behind Dangoro, so I had a clean shot at the back of it's head, but looking down was making me dizzy.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Just shut up and hang on!" I yelled back at him. I drew my arm back and then let loose a shot that headed for the back of Dangoro's head.

"HURM?" Dangoro turned towards me, having barely felt my boomerang, "Why do you do this, little female? Can you not see I am in the middle of..."

A crashing of metal filled the air, as if... It was the Iron Boots, I was sure! Before Dangoro could take notice, Link had grabbed what looked like a piece of his armor from where I was. I thought Link's face might burst as he pulled with all his might at the giant's back. He couldn't even begin to pick him up, but it was just enough to cause the platform to point skyward and send the Goron tilting and sliding down into the lava below, with Link safely secured to the floor.

"UWAAAAAA-CHACHACHACHA!"

Midna, now standing beside Link, bore a look of apathetic pity, "Geez... You didn't have to melt him."

"Th-That was a dirty trick..." Was he going to cry? No, but he certainly looked defeated. "... but to injure me so, you have shown great strength. I have no choice but to award you our treasure."

But he wasn't dead. I knew that much. A hand burst from out of the lava on to the platform and nearly pulled us in with him as he hoisted himself back up. He was covered in lava and had an intensely intimidating orange glow to him... until it dripped away and revealed an awkwardly cute Goron face. His armor had melted, I guessed.

Midna folded her arms in a far too annoying fashion and persisted with her comments, "Yeah, but exactly HOW are we supposed to get out of here?"

Like magic, which I suppose was entirely plausible, the lava began to rise until the platform floated in the same position as before it had been broken from its chains. Midna's expression was so smug I wanted to shoot _her _with the Hyperwing.

"Well, finally I get some appreciation around here."

"You know, I bet it wasn't appreciation so much as, "Oh my goodness, what is that thing? Get it out of here now!"." I said, climbing down the now linked chains as carefully as possible.

I was almost close enough to the platform to jump off when my foot slipped on the chain. I reached for the chain again, but I didn't catch it in time. Closing my eyes, I braced for impact.

_**Thud.**_

I could describe what bones shattering feels like, but I'd be totally making it up. That thud (thankfully) wasn't anything like that. Instead, Link had predicted my clumsiness from a mile away and caught me, much to Midna's rage.

"S-sorry." I said.

"I'd tell you not to sweat it, but the lava kind of killed that." He was smiling down at me, which could only mean he wasn't mad at me anymore. If he even was in the first place. I could've been just imagining things. Yeah. That's probably it. Lack of sleep or something like that.

But I _know_ I'm not imagining Midna's glare. It's practically burning a hole in my head.

"Ugh..." Dangoro moaned, plopping down onto the magnetic surface. It rocked the platform and almost knocked me off my feet. Link was there to steady me just in case. "...That...hurt a lot. Who knew that humans were capable of such feats of strength...What is it you seek to find here?"

"We came to find the patriarch of your tribe."

"Ah! So THAT is why you are here!" He said with a bright expression, as if he'd known it all along. "In that case, take the weapon of the Hero of the Past...With skills like yours, even the patriarch can be brought back to his senses."

The mountain of a Goron turned and pulled a lever I hadn't noticed before and there was a distant rumbling before the doors on both ends of the room unlocked.

"...Him again?..." I heard him mumble under his breath.

"Now, now...He might not mean _him_, exactly..."

"Oh, but I do!" Dangoro beamed proudly. "He was a good man, and brother to our ancestors! Be happy to be compared to the hero, little human! It's a compliment!"

"Thanks..." He mumbled.

Argh. You're not helping me here, Dangoro. Not one bit. Though it wasn't really his fault. How could he have known that the Hero of Time and Link didn't get along? Well, maybe they might. If they weren't left in a room together for more than five minutes.

Which was pretty much going to be impossible to avoid if I kept drifting between here and there. I just hope the Hero of Time doesn't decide to throw him in jail again.

"Come on, clumsy! We're going to leave you behind if you don't hurry up!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Eee hee! Watch me!"


	21. The Battle to Save Darbus

**Chapter Twenty-One - The Battle to Save Darbus**

"Look out!"

Link grabbed me by the arm and pulled me down the rusted ramp just as a barrel exploded behind us. Both of us were knocked to the ground a few feet away as debris from the explosive barrels rained down. Another few fire arrows lodged in the wall next to us, barely missing the next set of barrels.

"Where the heck is that coming from?" I asked as we both sat up.

"I don't know. I thought we'd gotten rid of all of them." He picked up his bow and got to his feet. "Stay here. I'll look again."

Okay. While he's looking for the last archer, let me explain what's been going on since we left Dangoro's chamber. The temple has gone pretty much as planned, which makes me feel a little bit better about things. Although the room where he had to get me across the ceiling was not fun. Knowing we could fall any moment into deadly lava wasn't comforting. I'm never doing _that_ again if I can help it.

We got the third key piece and rested another few hours or so before moving on. We made it to the last chamber before Darbus with no major problems.

Until now, that is.

Bublin archers were waiting to ambush us with fire arrows when we entered the room. I used the Hyperwing and Link used the bow to quickly take several of them out, but it seems we'd missed one or two.

"Ah-ha! Found you!"

There was a shriek across the room as the last one was shot and its weapon clattered to the floor.

"Is that all of them?" I asked, standing and brushing my clothes off.

He lowered his bow. "I think so. But stay close to me just in case."

Midna floated up from the shadows on the floor. "The Fused Shadow is just ahead. I can feel it. Just a little way through there." She pointed a finger down at the drawbridge.

As we made our way down there, she disappeared through the bridge and then came back out. "There's a huge locked door through there."

"A huge door?" I tried my best to act like I knew nothing. "Any monsters?"

"None."

I frowned. "Are you sure?" There should've been at least seven waiting for us on the other side.

"Are you suggesting I'm lying?" Her eyes narrowed.

"No." I sighed.

"It's a good thing, Amanda." Link raised his bow to shoot at the rope. "Get the other one, would you?"

We both let out shots at the same time and the ropes broke, causing the drawbridge to come crashing down with a loud boom that reverberated throughout the cavern. Up ahead the massive door with it's equally massive lock loomed above us.

I stood there, just staring at it. "What does that say about how big their patriarch must be?"

He shot me a look. "No Goron is that big." The guy had a point, but I remember the game very clearly. Darbus was bigger than Dangoro even, and he'd been huge up close. Things may have changed a little in terms of, well, _everything_...but I was sure of that much, at least.

Somehow that thought didn't relieve me of my worries.

"Would you two hurry up already?" Midna was propped up on her elbow in midair and yawning. "I'm getting bored here."

Since when was it our job to entertain her? I was tired, sore, and she was starting to aggravate me. She's lucky I'm not able to grab her or she'd be in that pool of lava right now. "Well, _excuse me_, your highness."

The twilight creature gave me a toothy grin. "Finally you learn my proper title, clumsy. I was wondering when you'd get it right. Eee hee!"

"Why I oughta–"

Link grabbed me by the shoulder to stop me. "Come on. I'll lift you up and you can the unlock the lock." He handed me the key and whispered in my ear, "The sooner she gets what she wants, she'll stop bothering you."

"For now." I muttered.

He grabbed me by my legs and I yelped in surprise as he hoisted me onto his shoulders. He kept a tight grip on me as I got my bearings. He grinned up at me. "Hang on tight and don't let the lock drop until I tell you to."

I nodded. "Okay."

Link handed me the key I'd dropped when he'd picked me up. I slipped it into the lock and waited until he backed up before turning it and catching the chains that fell. I tossed them aside and he slipped me off his shoulder, still holding me. "Thanks."

I smiled up at him. "Sure. Just warn me before you do that next time."

"Deal." He set me down on my feet. "I'm going to go in there and help Darbus. You stay here where it's safe. I shouldn't be in there too long. If something happens to me, get out of here as fast as you can and return to the village."

"You know I'm not going to do that, right? Leave you here?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I know. It was worth a shot, though. Come on. Help me with this door."

I put my hands next to his in the grooves of the door and we both pulled. Dust and pebbles dislodged from the ceiling as the door rolled open. Whoever thinks these doors are easy to open are crazy. There's no way he could've done this by himself in the game. Even if Link was usually strong.

He hurried in as the door started to roll shut. "Be careful!" I called after him.

"Of course! When am I not?"

"Try always!"

The last thing I saw before the door shut completely were his features settling into a determined look and a shadow of a large beast, which I assumed was Darbus.

It was quiet now, which means Midna must've slipped in there with him to help. Well, actually...help was too strong a word. I doubt she was thinking about anything but that Fused Shadow, which wasn't a bad thing because she needed them. But still...she didn't need to drive us crazy in the process.

My boots made a soft tapping sound on the ground as I paced back and forth. I was fine to wait outside the chamber until Link had defeated Fyrus, but there was a familiar unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that was making me restless.

I sighed and slid down the wall next to the door. The lock from the door was lying several feet away and I scooted over to examine it. The detailing and design of it was really amazing. There was even a Goron symbol carved on each of the three of the points. I held it up and took the key out of it, tucking it in my pouch. The elders would probably want it back.

I tossed it aside and stood up to stretch. There were no sounds coming from the chamber behind me. Maybe that was a good thing? Or maybe the door was just soundproof.

_Splish._

I snapped my head over in the other direction.

Had the monsters had come back?

I took out my halberd from its case and went in the direction of the lava, checking out every angle. The walls had a red-orange tint to them and it was bright enough that nothing could really hide. Just to be double sure, I went all the way around and back up and down the ramps.

But there was nothing there. Not on any platforms or cliffs or anything. I turned to go back to the door, but something in the red-orange pool of lava rippled and caught my attention. Bending down near the edge, I waited for a moment, but nothing else happened.

"Strange..." I sat back on my feet. "Almost as strange as seven Bublins vanishing."

Come to think of it, didn't something like this happen before? No monsters where there are supposed to be several?

"They couldn't have just disappeared into thin air...so where...?"

I was so lost in thought, I didn't notice it at first. The lava rippling again, I mean. Then again, wider this time. As if something was trying to surface.

Something I didn't know had been watching me the whole time, waiting until I was alone to strike.

The ground shook, knocking me on my back and rattling the cavern almost exactly like the earthquakes that had been plaguing the village. The lava exploded in front of me and I scrambled for my halberd and dove behind a rock. Drops of the red-hot stuff started to rain down, causing me to have to run back across the drawbridge for cover.

"What the heck was that?..." I leaned on my weapon to catch my breath.

"_**Kyaaaargh!" **_

I whirled around to find myself face to face with a large bird-like monster. Its red-orange feathers dripped of the lava and it's black talons went _tak tak _against the ground. It stared at me with crimson-red eyes, eerily similar to the ones on the oversized goat back in the Faron Woods.

Uh-oh.

I knew I'd forgotten about something.

The bird opened it's large beak and reached down into the cave to grab hold of me. One swipe of my halberd and it backed up enough for me to slip behind a pillar and along the wall to avoid being caught. If I could just stay back here until Link got Darbus back under control, then maybe I'd be okay...

"_**Kyaaah!" **_

The monster was angry that it hadn't gotten hold of me.. It stuck it's beak back in the cave, turning it's head so it fit between the pillars. I hit it on the head and ran to the other side, safe for the moment. But it wouldn't be very long before the bird got smart and caught on to what I was doing.

I had to think of something and fast.

"What the heck is going on out here? Did you break something, clumsy?" Midna asked as slipped from under the door and out. "Whoa!" She ducked into my shadow to avoid the beak that snapped at her. She popped back up when the bird pulled out of the cave again. "What is _that_?"

"Good question. It appeared after you two went into the other chamber."

"Didn't Mr. Hero tell you to stay put?"

"I didn't _do_ anything!"

Her eyes widened and she pointed behind me. "Well, you sure as heck better do something right now, then!"

"What?"

The monster dove back in and grabbed me tightly in it's beak before I could move. I struggled against it, but it was no good. The grip it had on me was ironclad. I reached back for my halberd and wanted to smack my forehead when I realized it was back down on the ground.

And Midna was nowhere in sight. She must've gone back into the other room.

"Some help you are!" I shouted to the closed door. "Whoa!"

The bird yanked me back as if to get an even tighter grip (if that was even possible. I felt like the circulation to the lower half on my body had been cut off). It had a funny look in it's eyes than didn't sit well with me. It used it's powerful black talons to push off from the ground and fly over the boiling lava.

Was it going to drop me in? I _really_ didn't want to be fried food for this thing.

Instead of dropping me, it lowered it's head and launched off of the cavern wall, folding his red-orange wings so it could fit into the cave. But it didn't. The bird was way too big and took down the walls around it. With a mighty_** crash**_, it broke down the door to Darbus' chamber.

I was so startled I couldn't help but scream. "Ahhh!"

"Amanda!"

I looked over to the corner of the room and there was Link, holding the chain to Darbus–er, it was Fyrus now. He'd wrapped around one of the stone pillars that stretched in a circle around the room. He dropped the chain, making his way through the debris of several of the fallen pillars.

"What are you doing?" I cried as Fyrus began to tug on the chain holding him to the pillar.

Link rummaged through the stones and pulled something out, tossing it up to me. "Here! Catch!"

I stretched and reached for the object–my halberd. My fingers wrapped around the handle tightly and I looked up at my captor. "Take this, you stupid bird!" I swung my weapon in an arc, making contact with it's eyes and leaving the monster blind.

It gave a screech and the beak opened. I fell to the ground among the rubble, landing hard on my back.

"Ouch..." I sat up and rubbed my lower back. I'm really going to feel that later.

Link was at my side in an instant. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..."

"What happened?"

"I–"

"Hold that thought." He scooped me up in his arms and jumped out of the way of falling pillar. Fyrus' chain was still attached and he was tugging on it hard. He was about the same size the bird and ten times stronger, not to mention completely on fire, but that didn't stop the monster from trying.

We moved out of the way as Darbus swung his massive arm at the bird and took the pillar swinging with him.

"That's their patriarch?" I cried as we took cover on the other side of the room.

"The gem on his head is what seems to be giving him the trouble. I tried to break it, but it's no good."

The gem won't break? That can't be a good sign. "What about arrows? Or your sword?"

"I've tried. Believe me. Nothing seems to be working."

I turned to watch the bird and Fyrus battle it out. He was having a hard time pushing back the other giant monster with one of his arms still tied to the pillar. The only time he could lift the massive piece of stone was when he took a swing at something.

If only there was a weapon of some sort hard enough to break the gem...

"Amanda? What are you looking at?"

He looked in the direction I was and studied it, too. After a minute or so, he said quietly. "I think I've got it."

"Huh? Got what?" I hadn't gotten anything.

"Stay here."

Link took out his bow and a few arrows. Turning to the left, he launched a few past Fyrus' left arm. The Goron turned and swung with his right arm, causing the pillar to shoot up and hit the gem on his forehead. He roared in pain and grabbed his head. The chains on his arms swung around wildly, knocking everything down in sight.

Including the giant bird.

It gave one last screech before slamming into the wall and disappearing in a burst of light. Fyrus slammed down to the ground and Link drew his sword, charging at it. With a cry, he leapt up into the air and brought his sword down into the gem.

It shattered in an even brighter burst of light than the bird monster had vanished in. Fyrus turned completely dark, and the black faded into several pieces of twilight, which in turned formed into a Fused Shadow.

Link twirled his sword and sheathed it, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'll take that." Midna appeared out of nowhere and grabbed it with that weird hand of hers.

I shot to my feet angrily. "You!"

She gave me a look of total innocence. "Hmm? What's the matter?"

"So this is where you went!"

"Yeah. I asked her to check on you earlier. She's the one that warned me you were in trouble. I had time to get Darbus out of the way so that bird wouldn't hurt him. And so he wouldn't hurt you." He folded his arms. "Their leader isn't evil, he was just being used for it. No sense in hurting him because of that."

"Link, I honestly don't know where that monster came from. One minute it was quiet, and the next–"

"I believe you, don't worry."

There was that jealous glare again. I could feel it even before I saw it. Midna might give Ilia a run for her money. "I hate to break it up...well, actually I really don't, but there's more you should know. You've been rather helpful servants, so I guess you've earned it."

Link shook his head at me when she said it. "Don't even."

"Don't worry. I don't have the energy."

"_Anyway..._The King of Darkness who cast this pall of shadows over your world...his name is Zant. His strength is unmatched and it'd be pretty foolish to challenge him in your current state..." She was furious now as she continued. "But Zant will never by my king! I have nothing but scorn for his supposed strength. Not that your Zelda is much better. It still appalls me that this world of light is run by that princess. A carefree youth, a life of luxury...How does that teach duty?"

"Midna! That's not fair!" The princess I'd met the last night hadn't seemed the least bit spoiled. Quite the opposite. Zelda's life had helped her to be strong and wise.

Midna snorted. "I wasn't finished yet. I was going to say that I guess I shouldn't begrudge her the circumstances of her life. She didn't choose it after all, and I would never wish harm on her..." She looked like she was thinking something nice for a change, but she just shook her head. "No, as long as I can get my hands on the Fused Shadows, I'll be just fine."

"If you're sure."

Her hand disappeared into her helmet as did the Fused Shadow. "Well, just one more left...Shall we? Eee hee hee!"

"Yeah. Let's go." Link stepped into the circle of light that Midna had created.

I looked over my shoulder at the still unconscious Goron. "What about Darbus? Will he be all right?"

"I think so. He'll wake up soon enough." He took my hand. "Come on. Everyone in the village is probably wondering where we went."

I let him pull me into the light with him.

"Ready to go?" Midna asked. We nodded and the light got brighter. The sensation of being teleported is one I won't soon forget. I felt my body float upwards and then the space around us went completely white. It made my head spin, but I was steadied by Link's arm. It was a matter of seconds before my body became heavy again and the light faded.

The spring's water lapped at my feet as my vision came back and a voice echoed around us.

"_You shall find one you seek north of here, across the plain, and over the stone bridge...in the lands guarded by the spirit Lanaryru...Be cautious, for the twilight has overtaken that area as well_."

One he seeks? "...Could the spirit of Eldin mean Ilia?"

"Maybe..." Link said thoughtfully.

"Amanda!" There was a sound like a door bursting open and before I could turn full around, I was nearly bowled over by Maya, who hugged me tight around my neck. "Thank goodness! You were gone forever!"

"I missed you too, Maya." I laughed and hugged her back.

Hane walked up and gave Link a friendly pat on the back. "We were all wondering when you two were going to come back. It's been nearly a four days since you left."

"All?" He said as we exchanged looks.

Behind Maya and Hane, people poured out of the sanctuary. Jillian and the children came out first. Renado and Luda came a bit slower, with one kid in particular who I was relieved to see up and walking.

"Colin!" Link said with a smile. "You're finally awake!"

"Link..." Luda and Renado were supporting him as he took a step. He took a few more and managed to stay upright until he reached the hill. His foot went sideways and he stumbled.

Link moved forward quickly to help him up. 'Whoa. Careful, Colin. Don't push it."

He looked up with his bright blue eyes. "You've got to save Ilia! Those monsters left me with Amanda and the others, but they must've taken her somewhere else! Whenever I couldn't go on, I'd think of you and Ilia and hold on, Link..." He bowed his head and pushed himself up from the ground. "See? I...I'm fine now. Remember what I told you back in Ordon, Link?"

I grinned as I remembered. He was such a cute kid.

"Of course I do. You want to be just like me, right?"

"Right! So don't worry about me! Focus on saving Ilia!"

Renado came up beside Colin and placed a hand on his small shoulder. "Do not worry about the children. I will look after them. I swear it. Do not let their fates trouble you.

Jillian added, "You will always have a place to rest here, as well. The inn will always be open to you."

"Thank you, Renado, Jillian." He ruffled the Colin's hair gently. "Don't worry. I'll save Ilia no matter what."

His blue eyes that glanced in my direction were saying the same thing to me, too.

And I completely believed him.


	22. Rumors

**Chapter Twenty-Two - Rumors**

Jillian had wasted no time in cooking copious amounts of food. She proclaimed that after a week with so little, we'd be able to eat all of it, so it wouldn't go to waste. You'd think that would be true, but neither of us could seem to eat more than two plates of it.

The older woman just gave a loud "Hmph!" at this and set to work separating the remaining portions to give to other villagers.

The night was meant to be relaxing, but all of the kids had turned it into Twenty Questions. Talo and Colin jumped up and down excitedly when Link described how he defeated a monster or when something had blown up. Their eyes went as round and wide as saucers when he described Darbus.

Beth sat at his feet, cooing "Ooh, you're so brave." Luda sat quietly in a chair next to Beth, listening politely and asking a few questions herself every now and then.

After dinner, the kids went up to the second floor to play until bed while the rest of us sat downstairs and chatted. Link and Hane sat out in the main room with Renado while Maya and I helped Jillian clean up. It was nice to be around them after so long without other girls (remember, the Gorons are an all _male_ race).

"That's the last of it." Maya announced as she handed me a plate.

I took the towel in my hand and rubbed it dry. "Thank goodness. I didn't think we were ever going to finish." The sound of boots on the hardwood floors came as I went up on my tiptoes to put the last plate away.

"Finished already?" Hane asked, feigning disappointment.

Link leaned against the doorway with his arms folded, his face displaying the same fake remorse. "Too bad. We were going to come help."

I rolled up the towel and threw it at his head. "You were not." I watched as he grinned and ducked, catching it with ease and throwing it back in my direction.

Jillian chose that moment to pull open the back door, planting her hands on her hips. "Ah, good timing. The pots are cool enough to wash. You two can have that chore since the girls did the other dishes." Maya and I snickered at the genuine looks of horror on their faces now as we set down our towels on the counter and followed them outside.

Now, you may not think washing pots is that big a chore, but these things were _huge_. And I'm being modest when I say that. You have to practically climb inside them to get those things really clean, which is quite funny in and of itself.

And it's even more hilarious to watch two full-grown men do it.

Which is exactly what Maya and I did. While we ate dessert, no less.

"I've been meaning to tell you, Amanda..." Hane stood up and wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "That dress looks good on you."

"Hmm? Oh, thanks." I took a small nibble of my pound cake, pulling the long skirt around my legs to keep warm. "Jillian gave it to me."

She'd come to me before dinner that night with her arms full of clothes that no one wore anymore. Girls that had moved away from the village, outgrown them, or...had died. Yeah, I wasn't too sure about that last one. But it was kind of hard to tell which was from which, so I had to live with it.

There was a white tunic with yellow accenting and a gold belt for warmer days. Underneath that had been a set of clothes dyed a tan color with a fur-rimmed poncho that was strung with pom poms that tied it shut. It looked to be good for the snow.

The dress I was wearing was really a Kakariko-styled skirt with a fringe and white, short-sleeved top. A belt went around the middle, and there were simple brown shoes to match.

"Mom always knows what people need before they themselves know." Maya set her cake down and hugged me in a sisterly gesture. "But you do look completely adorable."

Link didn't add anything to that effect, but he _was_ staring at me strangely. When he saw I'd noticed him, he cleared his throat and went back to cleaning.

Well, that was weird.

"Phew. I think I'm done with this." Hane wiped his forehead and straightened.

"I think we should let Jillian know before we say that." Link said. "Otherwise we'll be doing them all over again."

"Smart man." I agreed, taking another bite of my cake.

Before they could climb out of them, a shrill cry filled the air. It was about two octaves higher than I'd ever heard anyone speak or sing and sounded completely...unhuman. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and sent chills down my spine.

When I managed a glance at the other three, they all looked thoroughly unsettled. Hane and Link were frozen on the spot and Maya looked paler than I'd ever seen her.

"What was that?..." Maya said, finally managing to find her voice.

Hane blinked and shook himself out of his state. "I don't know. I've never heard anything like that before."

"Me either." Link slipped out of the pot he'd been standing in and left his wash rag on the edge. "But I have a bad feeling..." He didn't finish his sentence, but when his blue eyes met mine, I knew what he was thinking. It could have something to do with what was causing the Twilight.

Zant.

"Maya, let's get these things put away. The kids should be coming inside now, too. They should be out front with Jillian." I gripped the first pot and pulled them toward the inn.

Maya nodded and helped me push them against the wall. Link and Hane went around front to bring everyone inside. I didn't hear groans of protest from the younger ones, which means they must've heard the noise, too. But who hadn't? You had to have been deaf not to.

I shuddered again as we went inside and locked the back door tight behind us.

Jillian came into the kitchen, pale as the moon. "Link wants to talk to you, dear." She managed a wobbly smile. "Go on. Maya and I will finish things in here."

"All right." I double-checked the locks and headed for the main room.

Hane and Link were speaking in hushed tones near the front door. The kids were already upstairs getting ready for bed, incident forgotten. How did I know? Talo and Malo were fighting with play swords. Loudly.

Hane smiled broadly when he saw me. "I'll wait outside." He said, pulling open the door and slipping out.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

Link ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. "Nothing." He muttered. "Hane and I are going to go check out the source of that noise. Will you be okay here?"

"Of course I will."

"If anything happens, take everyone to the sanctuary and hide in there until it's safe." He edged toward the door, his hand already on the handle.

Whoa, what was the rush?

I nodded. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine here. You two just be careful, all right?"

"Aren't I always?" He grinned a little, seemingly relaxing. I could still tell he was a little nervous, though. "Lock this door after me, Amanda. Don't open it until we get back."

"I won't." I frowned as he turned to leave. "You sure you're okay?"

Link looked me up and down and turned away again. "I'm fine. See you later."

I watched as he left then, pulling the door tightly shut behind him. I moved to lock the doors and shut the windows, pulling the curtains shut. When I looked back toward the kitchen, Maya and Jillian had the same goofy smile on their faces that Hane had.

"Okay, that's it." I said, folding my arms and tapping my foot in an effort to look stern. "Would someone please tell me what is so funny?"

One look at one another and they burst out laughing.

"You really don't know, dear?" Jillian asked, wiping a tear from her eyes.

Know what? ...Was there something I just wasn't getting? "No...?"

Maya grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs. "Come on. I want you to see something." We walked across the upper sitting room to a full-length mirror that sat in the corner. She pulled me in front of her. "Now. Look."

Look at what? I glanced at my reflection. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Granted, the clothes I wore were more feminine and fit better to my form than that Ordon dress. I'd also put on a little makeup for a change and done my hair but that wasn't anything. It had just felt good to dress up a little.

Why should that be a problem? Unless...

Nah. He wouldn't, would he? I suppose it _would_ explain his behavior...

But me? Really? Just the thought of it made me as embarrassed as he'd looked.

When I didn't say anything, Maya spun me around and put her hands on my shoulders. "Girl, he was looking at _you_." She grinned. "And from the expression he had, he _liked_ what he saw."

"Yeah, I think I get that, Maya." I felt a blush slowly crawl up to my already flustered face.

She and Jillian just laughed.

There was a loud crash and the sound of glass breaking downstairs. The two women jumped at the sound of men's voices downstairs. It wasn't Link and Hane, that was for sure. There were too many voices, about four or five, and all different.

"Grab whatever you can. Remove anyone who gets in the way." One said. "We'll use the horses for everything."

"I saw a wagon, too, boss." Another said.

"You take Gyzu and get it ready. We have to hurry before those swordsmen come back." The first laughed. "Using those rumors floating around was smart enough. Good job on that Ry."

A third man snickered. "No problem."

I moved away from the mirror and pulled Maya and Jillian into the bedroom quickly and shut the door halfway. My halberd lay against the wall near my bed and I grabbed it.

"Stay here with the kids." I said. "Make a rope out of the bed sheets and climb out the window. Get to the sanctuary as soon as it's clear."

Maya grabbed my arm. "You are _not_ staying here, Amanda. Not alone." She whispered furiously.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." I reassured her. "Jillian, as soon as I'm out of the room, get the kids up and have them barricade the door with the furniture."

"Let me stay instead."

I would've thought she was joking if I hadn't seen the seriousness in her dark eyes. "Maya, how can you stay behind? I've never once seen you use a weapon, let alone hold one."

She folded her arms. "Like you know any better?"

Maya had me there. But I knew Hane would have my hide if I let her stay behind. "Maya, this isn't the time to argue. I'm going to stay outside until you all are out and that's that."

Clutching my weapon tightly, I slipped back out before anyone else could argue. I heard the door shut quietly and rustling from behind it. The men were still downstairs, their footsteps echoing through the kitchen as they threw pots, pans, food and anything else they could find into boxes. Luckily, the money was kept upstairs and hidden. They wouldn't get away with that at least.

I knew what I was doing was stupid, but I'd figure out a way to get away as soon as they did. Furniture wouldn't hold thieves back for long. But a person might.

"Well, well...what do we have here?" A man, the third one that had spoken, came to a stop at the top of the stairs when he saw me.

His boss was right behind him, chuckled. "Is this what they have to defend the whole inn? A tiny little thing with a weapon twice her size?"

Forget about my weapon. _He_ was twice my size.

I didn't say anything in response, only pulled my halberd closer to my body. I could hear hushed voices from behind the door. I hoped they were doing as I asked. I stepped in front of it, ready for them to try anything. And they probably would.

I just had to hold them off until Link and Hane got back, right? It's not like I had to kill them. It was no problem.

I think.

The one called Ry stepped forward. "Be a good girl and move out of the way." When I didn't do as he asked, he moved closer and took out a dagger. "I said _move_."

I just glared right back at him. I could tell it was frustrating, and I silently celebrated. I've never let anyone bully me in my life and I wasn't about to start. Even if they did have weapons and were much, much bigger than me.

"Dammit, woman!" He lunged at me with the dagger in hand. I blocked him with one end of my halberd, and hit him as hard as I could in the stomach with the free end. It seemed to do the trick and knock the wind out of him, because he fell backwards onto the floor.

"So...you know how to use your weapon." His leader mused. "Impressive. There are not many women who can. But even so..." He whipped out a long sword and swung it in my direction.

I moved out of the way before he could hit me. I wasn't against the door anymore, but I was confident he'd pay attention to me for the moment.

Suddenly, the other thief stood up and grabbed me roughly from behind, covering my mouth so I wouldn't scream.

"What should we do with her, boss?" Ry asked.

His boss sighed. "It's disappointing, but we have to dispose of her. Hurry up and do it quickly so we can get out of here."

I grunted in pain as he threw me to the floor away from him and kicked away my halberd. The sharp edge of Ry's dagger scraped against the floor as he picked it up. There were some other sounds nearby, but it must've been the leader trying to open the door. I wasn't paying attention to him.

Ry smirked as he said, "I'll enjoy this, wench."

"...Lay another hand on her and I'll tear through you so fast you won't even know what happened." A seriously dangerous voice said from behind him. Link had his sword up against the back of his head.

"Boss...!" Ry was obviously panicked.

"Your boss is a little busy at the moment." Another familiar voice replied, also deadly serious. I turned to see Hane behind the older man, holding him frozen to the spot in much the same way.

"Amanda...Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm okay." I pulled myself up from the floor by the railing.

Hane looked around. "Where are Maya and the others?"

"Jillian took Maya and the children to the sanctuary." I said, picking up my halberd that was lying a few feet away. "They're all right. What happened to the rest of...?"

"We got back in time to take care of the three outside. They're being watched. Don't worry." He replied. "Speaking of which, you two should be happy to know you get to join them."

I watched as they took them down the stairs and out the front door. I turned to wave at Ry smugly from the top of the stairs and it looked like he was about to turn red. I grinned to myself. I probably shouldn't have done that, but it was funny all the same.

Now. I should probably figure out a way to get that bedroom door open.

I heard footsteps and both of them appeared on the stairs again. "Here. Let me do it." He said. I stepped out of the way and he easily pushed it open, furniture and all.

"Now that that's taken care of, I'll go get the others and bring them back. Renado is handling those thieves." Hane said.

"Talo must be thrilled." Link said with a sigh.

"Oh, I'm sure." I agreed, thinking of the young boy and his wooden sword that had caused so much trouble that day in the woods. It seemed so long ago.

Hane headed back down the stairs and out.

"I'm going to make something to drink. You want anything?"

That's an odd thing to say after all that. "Sure. I'll come and help you."

"No, it's okay. I'll make it." I just shrugged and we headed down into the kitchen. He went for the stove and quickly refueled the fire, setting the kettle over it. "What kind of tea do you want?" He asked.

"Anything would be fine."

Silence settled between us again as he prepared my tea for me. I wasn't sure what he was thinking. It was hard to tell with only the occasional small look. He sure seemed like he wanted to say something, though. The kettle water began to boil and then...

"You're really stupid, you know that?" Midna floated up from the shadows, her expression one of frustration, anger, and something else I couldn't identify.

Ah, so it wasn't him, it was her. Does she whisper things to him that I can't hear or something? He wouldn't have brought me down here if she hadn't already said something about it.

Link slammed the kettle down. "Midna. Enough."

"Well she is!"

"I said–"

"Maybe it was." I interjected calmly. "But at the time, I didn't see any other way. There was more than one of them. The kids were on the second floor. They needed time to escape, Midna. I was the only other one with a weapon. Whom was I supposed to let stay, hmm? Maya or Jillian? One of the kids?"

For once, she had the grace to look ashamed. "No, but–"

"I know he trusts me, but since you're with us you need to learn to do the same. Otherwise it's going to be a lot harder to get along with you." I stood up and pushed my chair in. "I'm going to take my tea upstairs." I managed a smile at Link as he handed me the tea. "Thank you for this. Goodnight."

I walked as fast as I could up the stairs, leaving them–and any more arguments–behind me and went to bed.

* * *

Later that night I lay in bed, unable to sleep.

Link and Hane had never come to upstairs, but everyone else had. I pretended to be asleep so I could ward off any questions until morning.

Jillian leaned over and murmured, "Poor dear. She must be exhausted after all that."

Maya had murmured something in agreement and went about getting the kids and herself ready for bed.

I wasn't sure how many hours had passed since then, but it felt like forever. I rolled over, trying to find a comfortable position. The room was silent with everyone's breathing, save for the snores that came from Beth in the next bed. A curtain had been put up midway to separate the men from the women. I couldn't hear much from the other side, but I was pretty certain they were asleep, too.

I should've been asleep as well. But something was nagging at me and I couldn't put my finger on it.

Sighing, I slid my legs over the edge of the bed and slipped on a pair of flat shoes and a robe. If I can't sleep, I might as well take a walk, right?

I padded quietly down the staircase and slipped out the front door, making sure it was shut tight behind me. The shoes made a soft tapping sound on the dirt path as I made my way toward the cave near the entrance of the village where I'd sought refuge after the raiding incident.

Light spilled out from the sanctuary as I walked past. The windows were wide open, and I could hear Renado and Hane inside.

The doors next to me opened and Link stepped out.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw me. "Amanda." He scratched the back of his head and yawned. His green cap was missing and his dark blond hair was a mess. "Did you need something?"

"No, I just couldn't sleep. Have you been awake this whole time?" I clutched the robe tighter around my thin nightgown. "What time is it?"

"It's late, that's for sure. Renado is keeping an eye on the thieves until morning until someone comes to arrest them."

"So...you're up having a late night chat with them?"

"They kept clamoring about some rumor of a monster around here. They were trying to make the noise themselves, but it shrieked at that moment and the minute Hane and I left, they slipped in." Link tried not to yawn again as he continued. "Normally it wouldn't be such a big deal. There are monsters everywhere lately. But..."

"...From what we heard earlier and what we've seen in the temples, it doesn't sound normal." I finished for him.

"Exactly."

If that was true, then I probably should go in and listen myself. It was inevitable at this point that there were to be more changes to the story, but it would be nice to be a step ahead of everything. Being surprised all the time wasn't fun. "Can I come in and listen?"

He regarded me for a moment before answering. "Sure. Just keep back from them. One of them is really angry with you."

I tried not to smirk. "I suppose he would be. Having the wind knocked out of you isn't fun."

Link pulled the door opened for me and stepped in behind. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see five men tied up in the middle of the room. Two of them I recognized as the ones that had attacked me, and the other three must've been the ones outside putting things in the wagon.

Ry noticed me immediately and tried to get up. "You! I'm gonna run you through, stupid wench!" He growled.

Hane jumped up from where he'd been sitting and held him down. "Be quiet. You're in enough trouble as it is. I wouldn't try to lay another hand on her, if I were you." His tone held a trace of warning in it.

Renado didn't add to that, but his body language echoed it enough that he didn't need to. Ry sat back down and quieted. "Continue, Jase." He nodded toward the biggest man, who I recognized to be the leader.

"As I was sayin'...I've heard talk. In the Castle Town and elsewhere. Call them rumors, but I've seen enough evidence to suggest otherwise." Jase said. "Ungodly shrieks in the middle of the night, things disappearing like animals, food...Some people have even been injured from it."

I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. "Injured?... How badly?"

"It wasn't nothing major. Sprains, bites...once I heard of a broken limb or two but no one has died." The big man shrugged. "'Course the doctor in town don't believe a word of it and always passes it off as something else when his patients try to explain."

"Where is this supposed creature?" Link asked.

"Somewhere near Lanayru Province, I believe. In one of them deep caves you always see here and there."

Right near our next destination was. How convenient.

"Are you sure about this?" I put my hands on my hips. "You'd better not be lying."

"Why would he lie about something we could use to our advantage, wench?" Ry scowled at me.

He did have a point, but I ignored him and focused on Jase instead as he answered. "Aye, lass." He said. "I'm very sure." He may have been a thief, but he looked at me so unflinchingly that I felt myself believing him.

"So what now?" Hane asked as it got quiet.

"If what Jase says is true, then we can't just leave it there to roam free whenever it likes." Link sighed. "But there's still..."

"...Lanayru Province." I said softly.

I assumed the whole province was still covered in Twilight. Even if it wasn't, it would take several days to clear the temple out and grab the last Fused Shadow for Midna. Too long for the creature to be roaming free. And certainly too long to let Zant roam free.

There was only one way I could think of to solve this. "I'll go."

Link didn't even have to think before he answered, "Absolutely not. Being with me is one thing but alone is a different story."

"I agree with young Link there." Renado said. "You're much too inexperienced, Amanda."

Argh. Were they all going to gang up on me? At this rate, I'll end up being tied up and thrown in the kitchen with Jillian so they make absolutely sure I can't leave.

Jase snorted. "Aww, let the lass go. She's a smart young thing. I've never seen anyone best Ry. No else except me, that is."

"Actually," Hane said thoughtfully. "He might be right."

What? Really? If so, things were looking up. I might not have to stay with Jillian after all.

Link looked genuinely surprised at this and more than a little annoyed at the knight taking my side. "Have you lost your mind, Hane? You know how dangerous it could–"

"Just hear me out for a second. I know you have business in Lanayru Province that can't wait. So it's only reasonable to let her go. But, I'll be going with her if that's the case. I have to go back to Castle Town after anyway. She can just wait there with a friend of mine until you return."

So I needed a babysitter now? "But–"

"It's either that or stay here." Hane interrupted.

On second thought, that wouldn't be so bad. I didn't say another word as Link mulled it over. Renado was quiet, too, seemingly agreeing with the knight and the thief. He was outnumbered now.

Come on, Link. Say yes. You know you want to.

"Fine."

"Really?" Could he read my mind now?

"I'm outnumbered, aren't I?" He murmured, a trace of a smile on his lips now.

"Definitely."

"Well, then. I guess it's settled."

I noticed some movement under his feet and the blink of eyes. Midna glared at me from his shadow below, making her dissatisfaction clear. What was her problem? She would be away from me for a while. You'd think that make her happier.

"If we're done here, then you all should get some sleep. It sounds like you'll have a long day ahead of you." Renado said.

"No argument here." Hane yawned. "Goodnight, you two. Goodnight, Renado." He pushed the front door open and was gone.

Link picked up his discarded green cap. "He has the right idea. Ready to go, Amanda?"

"More than."

We both said our goodnights to Renado and exited the sanctuary. It didn't take long to reach the inn and lock the front door behind us. After what had happened earlier that evening, we double-checked the locks on the windows, too.

As I began to climb the staircase, I saw something move from the corner of my eye. I snapped my head in that direction, but saw nothing. I really hoped there wasn't a thief that was missed. I'd had more than enough of them for one day.

"What's the matter?" Link asked as I wordlessly went back down the stairs. "Amanda?..."

I waved my hand at him. "Shh...I think I can hear someone in the kitchen."

We both tiptoed back to the front desk and peered through the doorway to the other room. A dim fire sent a few splashes of light onto the walls, enough to catch someone slipping out the back door.

"Who could that have been?..." I shivered as my mind ran through the possibilities.

Link was more calm than I was. "It's not a big deal. It's probably Maya or Jillian. The door is always locked from the inside, so it can't be anyone else. Those thieves are still in the sanctuary with Hane and Renado."

"I guess you're right." I straightened and we headed for the stairs together. "What would any of them be doing out this late, though?"

He shrugged. "Who knows?" He turned to me at the top of the stairs and placed his hands on my shoulders. "All I know is that we're both going to sleep well tonight."

He was right about that. I don't think I'd ever been so tired in my life.

He turned the knob to the bedroom. "Get some rest. We'll be leaving again tomorrow."

"Oh believe me," I said. "You won't be able to wake me up until I'm good and ready to get up." Bells and whistles wouldn't work. Not Jillian, either.

I just hoped I wouldn't wake up with a dent in my head the size of a frying pan.

* * *

The next morning was clear and beautiful as the night had been. It wiped what had happened the day before from my memory and put me in a better mood. A gentle breeze wafted through the inn as people went in and out, and the smells of the bread Jillian made for breakfast reminded me of the cinnamon rolls my mother made on special occasions.

I guess it kind of was, I suppose. Hane, Link, and I were leaving today for a several days, not really sure when we'd return. Hane and I to the cave on the other side of the fields that was the source of those rumors, and Link to Lanayru Province.

It made me nervous to think of it, because I wasn't sure what kind of changes my being here would bring to that already dangerous area.

I'd already seen the wall of twilight from a distance and it sent chills down my spine just looking at it. I sent a silent prayer up as Hane walked into the kitchen and yawned.

"Good morning."

"Good morning yourself." I greeted him cheerfully, sipping my iced tea. They have all kinds of flavors like we do back home, which helps ease my caffeine withdrawal. Today I'd chosen something called daiberry, which tasted a bit like raspberry. Yum.

"You should eat something, Hane." Jillian said, stacking clean dishes. "There's some fresh sweet bread on the counter. I need to run over to the shop and buy a few things, but I'll be back in a minute." She untied her apron and hung it on a hook, leaving out the back door.

I took a bite of my sweet bread as Hane got up to get some of his own. "So...Have fun with Maya last night?" I grinned as his plate clattered onto the counter. Loudly.

Ah-ha. I knew it. I only had suspected the night before, but seeing the look on his face now confirmed it.

I knew I wasn't crazy when I heard someone sneak out the kitchen door when we came back in last night. I guess Maya and Hane had snuck off to spend some time alone before he left with us. Hane would be returning to Castle town after that to check on a few things, so they wouldn't see each other for a while.

"D-don't tell Jillian."

Jillian was old-fashioned about things like that and thought everyone else should be, too. And if they didn't, there was always a way she would convince them otherwise.

And it usually wasn't pretty.

"Tell me what?" Jillian pulled open the back door and stepped inside.

I stood and took my plate to the sink. "That it's a beautiful day outside and too bad we won't be here to work."

She glanced out the window and sighed. "Yeah. But I'll have Maya here, so it'll be all right." The older woman patted my cheek. "Go get ready to leave. I think Link was looking for you."

"Where is he?"

"Out in front by the sanctuary with Renado and the children."

I washed my dish off and put it away, giving Jillian a quick hug before running out. "See you later!"

"Pull the front doors open would you?" She called after me. "It's going to be really hot today!"

The sunshine came down in waves as I pulled open the front doors and slipped stones under them to keep them open. It was barely late morning and already I wanted to jump in the spring and take a swim. The kids seemed to agree with me. I could see them playing in the water down by the sanctuary.

Maya stopped me halfway down the path, arms full with things from the shop; medicines, a few cooking utensils, etc. "Good morning, Amanda. Where are you off to?"

"The sanctuary for right now. Where did you get all that stuff, Maya?"

She smiled. "Ah, mom stopped me halfway to the shop and made me go pick some things up that we needed for the inn."

"Well that explains why she was gone for less than a minute. Hane and I were alone in the kitchen."

Maya rolled her eyes and shifted her load to the other hip. "I'll talk to her about that."

"I've gotta go talk to someone right now, but I'll be back to say goodbye before I leave, okay?"

"You'd better."

I turned and jogged down the path, careful not to step on the Cuccos that were scuttling around under my feet.

Link was in the water, boots off and pants rolled up, playing around with Talo and Colin. The sparkling water flew through the air at the two boys and soaked them completely. Beth and Luda were sitting on the shore, squealing in delight when drops of water hit them. They jumped in the water and joined the other three, only adding to the chaos.

"Amanda."

I jumped when Renado spoke behind me. "D-don't do that. You scared me."

"Forgive me for startling you. Could we speak a moment inside?" He asked. "I have something that may be of use to you."

"Sure." I agreed. I followed him into the even cooler sanctuary. The sunlight filtered through the tall windows, illuminating a black box that sat on the steps nearby.

Renado bent down and opened it, revealing a long rod with beautiful, detailed engraving and a blue orb on top. He picked it up carefully and held it out to me. "This is a magical rod that breathes and blows ice. It was given to me by a dear Zora friend. I would be honored if you would take it and use it."

Whoa...the Ice Rod? I haven't seen that in a Zelda game since...well, I can't even remember when. "I couldn't take something so precious from you..." Even if it was really cool.

"Please. It just sits here without any use. If it could be of some help against that creature, I would be proud to give it to you."

I took it from the shaman and bowed low in respect. "It is I who is honored, Renado. Thank you. But if I may ask...why are you giving it to me and not Hane or Link?"

"You are a brave young woman...you remind me very much of someone else I know."

"Your Zora friend?"

"Yes. Queen Rutela. She was the keeper of this rod. Her name comes from the Water sage Ruto, who first watched over it hundreds of years ago. You are both very similar–to each other and that sage–so I thought it fitting that you be the one to have it." Renado bowed to me now. "Please take good care of it."

He stepped back outside into the sunshine, leaving me to stare at the item in my hands. The Ice Rod. Wow. Just brushing your fingers across it left no doubt of its power. It was cold to the touch.

"Amanda! We should get going now!"

Link's voice snapped me out of it and I carefully stuck the rod in my pouch before going back outside. I really need to get one of these before I go home. I'll never have to carry textbooks again with it.

Hane and Maya stood nearby, talking quietly, their heads bent close together. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her sweetly. He hugged Jillian next, then bent down to speak with the excited children. Talo was already jumping up and down.

Did this kid ever run out of energy?

Maya spotted me and came over to wrap me in a hug. "It seems like you just came back and now you're leaving already."

"I'll be back as soon as possible, I promise." I said, hugging her back and walking over to where Jillian was adding a few things to the saddlebags.

"Be careful, Amanda, dear." Jillian finished putting things in the bags and patted me on the cheek. She lowered her voice a little. "Don't let these boys push you around."

"Don't worry. I'll keep them in line." I murmured back to her.

Renado cleared his throat and we all fell silent. "If I may say something before you leave."

Link nodded. "Of course."

"In Hyrule, countless tales are told of an ancient hero...and your deeds bring him to mind."

I stifled a laugh. Did those tales ever mention how much of a pain he was? These legends aren't very realistic if you ask me.

"May the graces of the goddesses who shaped Hyrule bear you on your way." Renado bowed low in respect, as did Luda. Talo and Beth followed suit.

"H-hey, come on, now. There's no need for that." Link was turning a bit red now.

"All right, everyone. We really should get going before the heat becomes too much for the horses." Hane mounted his horse and whispered to me, "And to save poor Link from any more embarrassment."

I giggled and mounted Zale easily. Hane and I were going to get along well together. I already thought of him like a brother, and his manner was easy-going and laid-back. Different from Link, who was cautious and tense sometimes. It wasn't a bad thing, though. And Hane was _immensely_ different from Midna, who was controlling and uptight _all_ the time.

Link was already on Epona when I looked back. "Let's go."

I could hear the kids waving and yelling goodbye from behind us and all I could think about was my stomach. It was already doing flip-flops that left me uneasy. This feeling was getting to be all too familiar.

I sent up a prayer as the horses thundered down the path and hoped the village would be in one piece when we returned.

Whenever that would be, I hoped all of us would be, too.

...Why was I getting the feeling it wouldn't be that simple?


	23. Siri

** Chapter Twenty-Three - Siri**

"Come on, now. You know you want to."

"You're crazy."

"I am not. I'm merely suggesting this because you might be more comfortable this way."

I set my jaw firmly and frowned. Both the swordsmen were standing in the middle of a pond, waist-deep and completely soaked. Oh they both looked adorable. I'd give them that. And more definitely comfortable in the heat than I was. But there was absolutely no way I was going to jump in a pool of water that had just been standing there.

No, I wasn't afraid of what had been in it (though it did cross my mind). I just wasn't about to admit that I was afraid of jumping into water that I couldn't see the bottom of.

We'd been riding for several miles before we came upon a pond that actually looked like a miniature lake. It was never in the game, so of course I was surprised to see it there. The sun was high in the sky now and it was at least 95 degrees out, if I had to make a guess. The swordsmen were thrilled with the discovery of the pool of water and had jumped right in.

I stayed right where I was of course. There was no way I was getting in it.

Nope. None.

"At least give poor Zale a rest." Hane suggested, bending down and scooping up some water to splash on his face.

I sighed as I watched my grey dappled mount tugged at the reins. "You're right." I slid off my horse and led him to the water to drink. He whinnied softly and bent his graceful neck down to lap up some of the cool water.

The water did look inviting. It sparkled beautifully against the early afternoon sun as I bent down next to Zale to splash some water on my face and arms.

"Aw, come on. You can do better than that." I heard Link say.

"Huh?"

Before I could get another word out, someone yanked me off my feet and threw me over their shoulder. I recognized the green tunic and saw the discarded cap back where I'd stood. Zale just looked at me innocently with his soulful dark eyes.

Why, it almost looked like he was smiling. What a traitor.

"Put me down, you brute!" I cried as I pounded at his back with my fists.

"She's gonna kill you, you know." Hane said.

"I know. But at least she'll feel better doing it." He replied cheerfully.

With a loud splash, he dropped me in the deepest part of the small lake. It was only about four feet deep or so, but it was enough to submerge me underwater. I fought to regain my footing and shot up, sending water everywhere.

Ooh, was he ever going to get it.

Link must've seen the imaginary steam coming out of my ears because he was already laughing and running in the other direction. Well, as fast as someone could run in four feet of water. I caught up to him and tackled him, sending more water into the air.

We resurfaced and I sent a triumphant look in his direction. "Are you gonna give up yet, ranch hand?"

He held his hands up as I splashed more water at him. "Okay, okay. I give." He laughed again as I flicked water in his direction one last time. "Cut it out."

"I guess I do feel better, so I'll let you live this time."

Both of us climbed out of the water and dried off. Hane had been sitting on the bank next to the horses, watching the whole spectacle. Safe from harm's way, of course.

"If you two are finished playing around, we can get going." He said, stretching.

"Yeah, yeah." I yawned as I picked up my halberd from the ground. His laid-back attitude was contagious.

I felt a shiver along my spine as I turned my back to the wall of Twilight behind us. You know that feeling you get when you think you're being watched? I was starting to feel like someone really was. Closely and intensely. But who? And what for?

I glanced over at the guys. Link and Hane didn't seem to be bothered by it at all.

Maybe I was more sensitive to these things?

"Amanda? Something wrong?" I looked up to see Link watching me intently with those dark blue eyes of his.

Sensitive I might be, but people also could read me like a book.

"No. I'm fine." I slid a foot into the stirrup and hoisted myself onto Zale's back. He danced a little in place, seemingly eager to go. It was that or worry. Either way, I was feeling the same. I leaned down to whisper in his soft ears. "You too, boy?"

I tried not to chuckle when he bobbed his head up and down a little like a nod.

I nudged Zale behind the other two and we were on our way. We were in the middle of that giant field near the eastern bridge. You know, the one with all the puddles of water and broken down walls and fences? You'd think leaving from the other side of the village would be faster, but _no_. This place was huge. It'd taken an hour or longer to reach the point we were at now.

It was mostly silent as we kept on. The wall of twilight gleamed gold, seemingly mocking us as we rode beside it. You know. Like, 'Ha, ha, you can't get in here.' Hane didn't say anything, but I knew it was frustrating for him not to be able to help Link take back his town.

Not that he had any problems going with me instead. No, he was just truly a knight who loved his town and his country. From the sound of it, those types of knights were rare these days.

Maya was certainly a lucky woman.

The two guys struck up a conversation about types of swords and their differences as they trotted their horses alongside me, leaving me to my own devices.

You remember that feeling I had when we'd left? Yeah, it wasn't really going away. And now I was worrying about every little detail.

It would have kept me awake all night last night if I hadn't been so tired already.

What if something had happened to Ilia? What if the Zora prince had died from his wounds? What if Telma was unwilling to help? And what if I couldn't stop any of it in time? The what ifs were driving me crazy. I was beginning to wish I was as naive as the rest of them.

"All right. What's the matter? I know you're thinking something."

I must've looked seriously troubled, because now I'd drawn both of their attentions. Sometimes I hated my inability to hide my emotions.

My mind raced as I scrambled to come up with a plausible lie. "Ah, I'm just worried about the people inside the Twilight still." I forced a half smile, hoping it, at least genuine. "I'm just remembering how bad it was for us."

His gauntleted hand covered one of mine. "Don't worry. Goddesses willing, I'm going to drive the last of it out of here." I felt one of his fingers slide under my chin and he tipped my face up, giving me a reassuring smile. "No more people will have to go through what you did, I promise."

I felt my heart clench painfully as he said those words. He was trying so hard to cheer me up that it broke my heart. I wanted to burst into tears and tell them everything I knew. To finally stop feeling like this. But I knew I couldn't do that. For his safety and everyone else's, I had to keep my knowledge a secret.

But deep down, a small part of me wondered if I wasn't just trying to protect myself.

"Ah, this part of the country is beautiful, isn't it?" Hane asked, his hand sweeping around and gesturing at the wide-open space. "All these mountains are so majestic. You really don't see anything like them in other places. At least, I don't."

I knew Hane was trying to cheer me up too, so I pushed my worries to the back of my mind. "Yeah. It reminds me of back home. There's so many mountains. I live in a city near the bottom, but I've been up there to see the snow more than once."

"Snow, eh? No fiery volcanoes?" Link asked with a note of teasing in his voice. He knew how much I hated the heat.

"No. They're inactive volcanoes, so it snows up there most of the year. I don't much care for skiing, though."

"Skiing?" Hane said, curious. "Is that some kind of sport?"

"Yeah. One I'm not very good at. You ride a lift to the top usually and use two pieces of wood to go down the mountain. You have poles to keep your balance, but that doesn't keep me from falling, usually." I said, chuckling as I remembered my friends making fun of me as I'd gone tumbling down the mountain–head first.

"Sounds dangerous." Link commented wryly.

"Sure it is...if you're careless." I giggled a little bit now. "But I'm usually so padded from all the clothing that nothing can hurt me. I usually look kind of like a marshmallow."

They looked confused and until I explained what a marshmallow was. Both the swordsman laughed at the thought of me looking like that and we fell into a comfortable silence. I was thankful for both of them being there at that moment to distract me. I may not be very close to finding a way home, but at least I'd found good friends here. And for right now, that was enough.

Something still wouldn't quit nagging at me, though.

"Hey...Hane? You've been through here before, right?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Several times. Why do you ask?"

"Were there ever monsters roaming around here?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it..."

I gave Link a look that said, "do you see where I'm going with this?" He just nodded. From past experience, we both now had a clear idea of where the monster had come from. I had suspected the night before when the thief had named the region (and I'm sure Link had, too), but now it was definitely a possibility.

He pulled Epona up next to Zale and leaned in close. "Just be careful. You know how dangerous the last two were, Amanda."

Meaning let Hane deal with it and stand back. "I know." And I did. But I was dying to try out the Ice Rod. As long as Hane didn't say anything about it, there's no way he'd ever know.

I felt bad thinking like that, but, well...The cool Ice Rod trumped anything else I should've or shouldn't have been doing.

"I see that look in your eye." I jumped as he frowned at me and I knew he knew what I was thinking. As usual. I hated being so dang easy to read. Or rather, I hated that _he_ could read me so well. "Don't you dare try anything you can't handle." His expression softened a bit. "Promise me, Amanda."

I sighed inwardly. "I promise. As long as you do the same."

"I promise." He grinned and patted one of the saddlebags attached to the saddle. "Besides, I have a new toy. I'll be fine."

Bombs. I'd seen him go into Barnes' shop earlier in the day.

I rolled my eyes, though deep down, I understood his excitement. I did have the Ice Rod, after all. "Now I'm really worried." Then I laughed and patted Epona. "Watch over him for me, girl. Don't let him get into too much trouble." Epona whinnied and tossed her head as if she understood me.

We had made it to where we needed to separate. Link would go across the bridge and into the Lanayru Province, while Hane and I still had a ways to go.

"I feel so left out." Hane said in mock hurt, keeping up the lightheartedness. I figured it was as much for my sake as their own. "Don't I get a goodbye?"

Link clamped a hand down on his shoulder. "Let anything happen to her and I'll kill you." He said cheerfully.

With that, he nudged Epona in the other direction. We waited until he had started across the bridge before we turned and continued on our way. I watched him ride away from the corner of my eye until I couldn't seem him anymore.

"So you two are pretty close." Hane said.

"Yeah, pretty much since we met." I smiled, remembering the good times we'd had those first several days in the village. Before everything had gotten so dangerous. "He's been really kind to me."

The swordsman sat up a bit straighter. "He's very fond of you, that's for sure. It seems like you like him, too. Why don't you two start courting?"

I sucked in a sharp breath and nearly choked on it. Courting? Boy, was he ever blunt. "Wh-what? Ah, no Hane. I don't think that would work out very well. For one thing–" For one thing, I had a boyfriend already and I was from another world entirely. He had Ilia. And then there was the whole part about me keeping my knowledge a secret.

Link would surely hate me if he ever knew I'd kept everything from him.

Hane held a hand up to silence me before I could say anything else. "Okay, okay. I was just offering a simple suggestion." A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "It's just...He had the same reaction you did."

The idea that he'd done the such a thing both pleased and bothered me.

"_Anyway_..." I said firmly, letting him know the subject was closed.

"Anyway, you should know that he also said..."

He just didn't know when to quit. I had to think of a way of this and fast. "Um...uh, race you!"

Zale was more than ready to run. He sprang forward when I gave him a nudge with my heels and didn't stop. Despite the situation, it felt good to ride that fast with a cool breeze blowing around us. I hadn't felt this free in a while. It had been starting to become cramped in the village.

"Hey! Slow down!" The knight called from behind me.

I gave a tug on Zale's reins and he slowed down to a gentle trot. We were to the other side of the field now, and I could see the cave just ahead. Sheesh. What did it say about the rest of the world if it took almost two hours to cross something that took two minutes in the game?

Oh right. But this wasn't a game was it?

Remind me to kill my cat when I get home

Hane was jumping off his horse before it even came to a stop. "Shall we?"

I slid off of Zale and we walked the rest of the way on foot. I glanced at the opening as we tethered the horses to a low tree branch. The opening of the cave wasn't very big, but it seemed ominous all the same. It was damp and dark on the inside. And I should also mention it was completely man-made. There were structures built to keep the whole place from caving in.

"Well, at least we know that the thing can't dig and is only as big as this place." Hane said, giving the firm walls a tap with his foot. "That only narrows it down to it being about three feet taller with possibly claws or fangs that could rip a grown animal to shreds."

"I don't know whether to feel comforted by that or more disturbed." I said dryly.

"Ah, I almost forgot." The swordsman took out a lantern and some oil. "This should keep us from falling into any bottomless pits."

"Oh, good. We wouldn't want to do that."

"Definitely not." Hane replied, almost cheerfully. I was starting to wonder whether or not he was _too_ laid back. "Follow closely behind me. We shouldn't run into anything but that creature, but it never hurts to be careful."

"Gotcha."

The cave didn't have any major twists or turns. Quite the opposite. As we got further in, we saw there was only one way in and out. It could have been that other passageways had collapsed, but if that was so, it was a long time ago. There were no signs that I could see of another route. Roots had grown in through the walls, reinforcing the tunnel and making it sturdier than normal.

"These walls are sturdy as anything I've seen made out of stone." Hane raised the lantern a little. "It makes you wonder how long this place has been here." He hopped over a small gap in the ground and held a hand out to help me step over.

I took his hand and leapt carefully, landing easily on the other side. "So, Hane. Why did you decide to become a knight?"

"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Just out of curiosity." I said, kicking at a small rock as I followed behind him.

Hane paused for a moment before answering. "My father and grandfather before me were knights. Along with Maya's father, who was the captain, they protected this country and instilled the same desire in me."

"I've never met Maya's father. Does he live at the castle?"

It was an innocent question, but it brought a sadness to the swordsman's eyes. He stopped for a moment, then turned to me. "I suppose you could say that." He looked almost like he was in pain as he continued. "He is buried there in an unmarked grave along with several others. Her father was killed protecting the princess when those black monsters invaded the castle."

I felt my chest constrict painfully. "Oh, Hane...I'm sorry...I didn't know...I..." I took a shuddering breath. "She never said anything..."

Hane softly smiled. "That's my Maya. She selflessly puts her own pain aside to keep others happy."

"That she does. She's a wonderful friend."

We began walking again. "So, Amanda. Tell me. What is it that you do?"

"I'm a student. I specialize in studying all types of music. Vocal, orchestral..." I balanced carefully as I walked down an iron plank. "...After working in a small school for a year or so, I'd decided I would teach music after I was finished studying it."

"That explains why you're always humming something." He said. "You're really quite good."

I could feel myself blushing a little. "Thanks. I don't think anyone is listening when I do that. My dad was the one who taught me to love it. I watched him as a kid and wanted to do the same."

"I guess we both take after our fathers, then. What is he doing now?"

"He...left my mother and my siblings and I when I wasn't even twelve. My younger sister and two younger brothers were all younger than ten. He just decided he wasn't happy one day and up and left with another woman."

"I'm sorry, Amanda...Have you heard from him at all?"

"We used to. But when I didn't go to the schools he wanted, do what he wanted me to...he just stopped talking to me. My sister hears from him once and a while, but other than that...nothing." I tried to look happy, despite the depressing subject. "I'm close with my mom, though. She's always taken good care of us and has shown us that she won't leave."

"It sounds like your mom is a wonderful woman."

"She'd throw a fit if she knew what I was doing now, though."

"Well, of course. You're the oldest and her baby, right?" He grinned. "I have no sisters or brothers, but it was the same way with my mom."

Was? I wanted to ask more questions, but I sensed now wasn't the right time and I kept my mouth shut.

"It looks like we're at the end of the road. Keep your eyes peeled for anything."

Anything? Even with the lantern, I could barely see in front of me. Which was strange, because it had provided enough light before. I absently reached out in front of me to see if I could even see my hand. My foot slipped forward and I wobbled.

"Whoa!" My arms flailed as I tried to keep my balance.

Hane grabbed my hand and pulled me backwards. "Hey, be careful." He bent down and held the lantern closer to the ground. A strange dark fog covered what looked like another hole and plank. It scattered when the light got closer to it. "How strange. Fog? In a cave like this?"

"It's not just there. It's all over." I gestured across the plank, where it was even darker.

Something caught my eye and I blinked.

Through the foggy swirl of black, I could swear I saw something shift in the corner.

"Hane, wait a second. Bring your light over here." I carefully tread down the narrow iron plank and into the dark cavern.

The room brightened considerably as he came up behind me with the lantern. The soft glow of the flame sent the darkness fleeing into the corners. How strange. So it wasn't normal fog. It had to be part of the Twilight. But what was causing all this fuss?

"Amanda, look." Hane pointed to the very back of the cave and lifted the lantern higher.

There, huddled against the wall, was a tiny Zora girl. She was whimpering, arms around her legs, eyes screwed shut. Her fins and scales fluttered gracefully around her like a regal dress, and there appeared to be jewelry on her arms and head.

"Hello, there." I said softly, as not to startle her.

Her head snapped up and her eyes opened wide. Gold-flecked, scared eyes that were beautiful on the young Zora. She opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to decide against it.

"Don't worry, little one. We're not going to hurt you." Hane knelt down next to her, avoiding several scraps of trash that were scattered around.

I bent down to look at it. "Most of this is food scraps and a few other things." There were piles of rubble in the corner, and upon closer examination, I found the bodies of some of the missing animals. I stood up and sighed, rubbing my aching back. "Well, we know where the missing things went. But how could one little Zora do all this?"

"Amanda, I think you should come look at this." He motioned for me to come over.

The Zora girl had scratches and bite marks on her small body. She was shivering now as Hane touched the wounds and examined it. I felt anger build up and I balled my fists to keep from doing anything drastic. "Who could've done this?"

"I don't know. But whoever did it is probably the cause of all the trouble, not this little one." He pointed to her legs. "There's bruising here and bite marks...and they're fresh. It looks like she was attacked again recently. Whatever did this grabbed her by the legs, but she fought back."

I reached back into my pack and pulled out some bandages and medicine and handed them to Hane. "Let's get her treated and out of here. Whatever did this to her could come back soon."

I remembered most of my first aid classes from high school, so luckily we were able to at least patch her up within a few minutes. She whimpered when Hane put the antiseptic on her bites, but didn't say a word otherwise.

"It doesn't...seem to be working."

"What?"

"The medicine. It's not doing anything for her at all." He sighed, frustrated. "Let's just get her out of her for now. There's a doctor in town we could talk to who might know how to help. I'll carry her, so you'll have to hold the lantern."

The Zora tugged on his arm and took hold of the swordsman's hand. With some effort, she was able to pull herself up to her feet.

"I think she wants to walk." I said.

He shook his head, looking slightly amused. "I guess so."

As I reached down to pick up my things, a rumbling noise echoed through the tunnel.

"What was that?" I asked.

The cave rumbled again, causing small rocks and dust to come raining down on us. The Zora girl jumped and scampered behind Hane. A strange noise like something slithering low on the ground came echoing through the tunnel.

"I don't know. It might be that monster." Hane stood, unsheathing his sword. "Be ready."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I took out my halberd and held it tightly. If the other unplanned monsters from before we any indication, then the form of this one would be no surprise.

It would take the form of Lanayru, like the goat and the giant firebird before it.

The noise stopped for a split second and then...

Red eyes. Menacing and deadly, pierced through the black fog.

"A snake." I said, my voice barely audible.

I knew the knight had heard me, though. He was pulling a small dagger out, his stance conveying his readiness for anything. He had pushed the young Zora back into a corner and behind a boulder where she'd be protected. The lantern light flickered as the monster slithered closer.

Its body was at least as big around as either of us, but as it came forth, it was clear it was at least ten feet long. When it raised its head above ours, it stood a good six feet higher. The scales and belly of the snake were a tinted black-blue in the dim light.

I wondered how it could fit in this cavern at all.

"He isn't going to give us much room to move." Hane whispered to me softly. "Try to get behind it and strike. I'll take the front and guard the little one."

"All right, but be careful." I grimaced as it hissed and bared fangs that were at least a foot in length. "It looks mad."

Mad was an understatement. It launched itself at Hane with the force of at last three or four grown men. Luckily he rolled and dodged it in time. I had already inched to the backside of it and traded my halberd for the ice rod. Okay. So far, so good. There was only one teeny problem keeping this from being completely simple.

Now that I had my new weapon out, I had no idea of how to use it.

It's not like I could just push a button or something.

"The least Renado could've done was give me instructions to this thing." I muttered to myself. Okay. Let's try just pointing it.

And...nothing.

Magic words, maybe?

"Amanda! Do something!"

I snapped my head in the other direction. The snake already had Hane pinned in the corner with the Zora. He was doing his best, but the cavern was so small, there was just no room to dodge or move. If I didn't do something–and quickly–then they'd both be food for the giant monster.

"Just give me a minute!" I called to him.

I could see him nod his head slightly and brace himself for another attack. "That's all I can give you!"

The ice rod felt heavy in my hands as I looked it over. There had to be some way to make this thing work. If only I had more time...

"Clear your mind."

Huh? Where had that come from?

I saw–or rather, felt–a gentle glow around me. Delicate, gloved hands placed my own in the right position on the rod.

"Focus on the feeling of ice. Cold. Crystal-like and beautiful. Serene."

I did as I was told. My mind drifted to the image of Snowpeak, it's jagged cliffs covered in ice and snow. Freezing cold and deadly. The tip of the rod began to radiate a soft blue as I focused on the image. It felt like something was welling up inside of it, ready to be let out.

"Now release it!"

I pointed the rod toward the side of the snake. Spears of ice flew out in bursts of blue light and pinned the snake against the wall, and knocked me off my feet.

Hane seized that opportunity to sheath his sword and grab the young Zora girl. "Let's get out of here!"

He didn't have to tell me twice. I spun on my heel and raced toward the tunnel with them. The glowing light that had spoken to me was guiding the way out. Our lantern had run out of fuel a while ago, so it was the only thing lighting our way. The fog had disappeared completely, making our run quite a bit easier.

The sun had begun to go down when we exited the cave, but the glowing light was still there. I had to throw my arm up to keep from going blind as it got brighter.

When the light dimmed, a ghostly version of Princess Zelda stood before me. She wore a dark cloak and shimmered, almost transparent. It occurred to me then that she was using magic.

"Your Highness!" Hane quickly covered up any emotion and immediately bowed low in respect.

My own reaction was a little less formal and polite. "Y-your highness!" I squeaked, blinking in surprise.

"Hello, Amanda." She had a little more lightness in her eyes at my shock, but her features were still as set and determined as the last time I'd seen her. "You need to close the cave with ice. I'll cover it with a magical seal once you're done. Focus on softness this time. If you're agitated, you'll make jagged chunks of ice instead of a smooth, clear sheet like we need."

"R-right." I tried to picture a smooth snow bank this time. Soft and clear, like on the hills back home.

Home...

The Ice Rod began to glow and I pointed it toward the opening. A soft blue glow radiated from the rod and flowed softly out like water, creating a crystal sheet over the hole.

"Perfect." Zelda placed a ghostly hand on my shoulder. "Now let me take care of the rest."

The princess moved past me and held a hand out toward the ice. I could see her Triforce glowing and a gold shimmer set over the ice. There was another flash, and when it cleared, there was a large boulder in place. Carved into it was the royal crest.

She dusted off her hands–such a graceful movement for something so simple–and turned back to me. "Thank you for your help."

"I'm glad I could help, but wouldn't your seal have been enough?" As soon as the words came out, I wanted to snatch them back. Why couldn't I just say thank you and not open my big mouth?

"I'm afraid not. As it is, I'm using a lot of my magic just to do this. I've also lent you some of my power to use the rod. You have no magic in your body, so it would be impossible otherwise."

Thank you so much for reminding me I'm not special. "So that's why it wasn't working before."

Zelda nodded. "Exactly. But be advised...since your body is not accustomed to magic, it will wear you out quickly. Use it wisely." The princess gave a gentle smile and nod to Hane, who was still bowing. Oops. I guess I forgot to do that. But she didn't seem bothered by it. "We will meet again. Until then, please be careful. **He** sees all you do."

There was another flash of light and she was gone as quick as she'd come. Hane stood and dusted his clothes off while I tried to gather myself. He? Could she mean Zant? I did find it a bit strange that we hadn't heard nor seen anything to do with him for a long while.

But if she meant Ganon...then we'd be in big trouble.

"That was certainly unusual. Do you need to explain that or should I just guess?"

Oh, crap. He knew I knew.

I was in _big_ trouble.

"Come on. I know you're not telling me something. You're not really from the village. Where are you from?"

Huh?

My forgetfulness reared around and smacked me in the head. I realized then that Hane had no idea of how I'd come to be here. Maya and Jillian were the only Kakariko Villagers that knew. So of course this would look suspicious. He wasn't talking about your game knowledge. Get a grip, Amanda.

Hane waited expectantly for me to answer, but he didn't seem angry. Not in the least. Just slightly curious.

I sighed. "I..."

When I didn't continue, he just placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay...I already know about your situation." When I looked up, he was all understanding and compassion. "Maya let me know in privacy what had happened to you. I'm so sorry, Amanda...You must be pretty homesick by now."

I felt a pang in my heart when he said that, but I fought to regain my composure before I burst into tears and spilled my other secret.. "Yeah..." I tried not to let my voice waver.

A small hand tugged on my own and I looked down to see the Zora girl looking up at me with emotion that mirrored my own. Her gold eyes were watering as she mouthed something.

I shoved any thought of my home and everything else to the back of my mind and forced a reassuring smile. "But this little one must feel worse. Attacked and taken away from her home. She needs our attention now more than anything. Shall we get her to where she belongs?"

He took that as a cue to stop talking about it. "All right. But if you ever need to talk about something, I'm more than willing to lend an ear."

"Thank you, Hane. That means a lot to me." I quickly changed the subject to avoid more talk of my own life and home. I'd done more than enough of that for one day. "Did this little one tell you her name?"

"No. She never spoke a word to me the whole time." The knight bent down to her level. "Well, little one? Can you tell us your name?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. The young Zora seemed to be struggling to form words. After a minute of no sound, she bent down a drew a few symbols in the soil. She looked to Hane and me and pointed to what she'd written.

If now was any time to be a Zelda nerd, it was right now. But I was ashamed to say I hadn't memorized the alphabet. "I can't read it...What does it say, Hane?"

"It says...'Siri'." He smiled. "Her name is Siri."

Siri looked at both of us and smiled for the first time since we'd met her.


	24. Ilia's Return

**Chapter Twenty-Four - Ilia's Return**

I led Siri by the hand as we followed Hane through Castle Town's main square. The Zora girl still didn't say anything, but she looked nervous.

Dark, ominous clouds were gathering in the sky and it looked like it would downpour any second. The sun had already gone down by the time we left the doctor's office. Vendors and shoppers alike were heading home for the day.

Hane had talked to his captain once we got here and explained the situation we were in. He was able to get another two days to help Siri and return here. It was a _huge_ relief, because there was no way I was going back on my own. The terrain looked different when you were actually traveling it, so there was a very big possibility that I would get lost and end up on Snowpeak instead of in Kakariko Village.

We went to the doctor's office, but with no luck. He was out at the moment and no one around was sure when he'd return. Not like he'd help us anyway. I rolled my eyes as I remembered him saying he didn't treat Zoras because they were beyond his expertise.

Some doctor.

Hane offered another idea. He spoke of Telma, who was a good friend of his and likely to help. I had no objections. I knew she would have Ralis there with her. A few guards confirmed that as we spoke with them. Maybe Ralis even knew Siri. Knowing our luck, though, she probably had already left.

I just hoped I was wrong.

We turned down the south road and stopped at the top of a set of stairs. "Telma's bar is just down here. She's open until pretty late, so she should still be here."

"If she isn't out, as well."

The grim line of Hane's mouth and seriousness of his expression said he was worried about the same thing, but he didn't say anything as we tread down the stairs into the empty alleyway.

The door to the bar was slightly open, the light from inside spilling out into the darkness. As Hane pushed the door open, a white cat slipped out and wound around his legs.

"Hello, Louise." Hane bent down to pick up the small cat, who had started purring, and turned to me. "This is Telma's cat, Louise. She's as much an owner of this bar as Telma herself is."

I smiled as I reached out and scratched behind her ears. "Nice to meet you, Louise."

"Mrrow." She replied, blinking her bright eyes. She jumped out of Hane's arms and trotted back inside ahead of us.

I heard a pleasant chuckle come from the other side of the door. "Greeting more customers, Lousie?"

Pushing the door open with my free hand, I saw a copper-haired man bend down to pet the cat and scoop her up out of the way. When he stood, he was about the same height as Hane, which meant he towered over me. His clothes were patterned uniquely with red and blue, and he was all muscles and tan skin, with a brilliant smile, which he flashed in our direction.

Now, I consider myself pretty intelligent, but the only word that came to my mind to describe this guy was _yummy._

Why do all the men here have to look so absolutely perfect?

"Good evening, Hane. You're here late." He said.

"No later than usual, Livius."

His grey-blue eyes landed on me with a warmth and gentle humor that made me feel flustered. "And who might this lovely young woman be?"

My mouth couldn't seem to form words. Snap out of it Amanda. A gorgeous man is speaking to you. "Ah, my name is Amanda. Pleased to meet you."

When he took my hand, I expected him to shake it but he took it as if it were porcelain and softly kissed it instead. "The pleasure is all mine, _porquita_." The Spanish-sounding word rolled off his tongue like silk as his eyes met mine.

Oh, my. Is it starting to get hotter in here? I resisted the urge to fan myself.

My hand was tingling when he let it go. The last time a certain someone kissed my hand, I couldn't wait to get it back, but this time I was wishing **this** man had held on a little longer. Of all the times to get a stupid crush on a guy. I could feel Siri shuffling behind me to hide.

"Ah, that reminds me of why we came here." Hane said giving me a look that said 'snap out of it'. "We'd heard Telma had found a young Zora boy. We think he may know who this little one is."

"Sure she did. But I don't know where she and that girl went."

"There's another Zora?" The knight asked, clearly puzzled.

"No, no. A Hylian girl. Cute. Unusually short blond hair and green eyes."

My eyes widened. "That's Ilia!"

"Ah, so she's a friend of yours?"

"She's been missing since the attacks on the village."

"You mean Ordon?" Hane asked. He was the only one present who knew the whole story, so I just nodded.

Livius wiped his hands on a towel and leaned against the bar. "So there were more attacks elsewhere." He didn't seem too surprised to hear this, but I assumed there had been some on the castle town, too.

"We were all captured and separated...we had no idea where they took Ilia." I clapped my hands together in delight. Now that I knew where Ilia was, I could breathe a sigh of relief. No changes there. I'd had more than enough of those for a while. "This is great news!"

"Indeed." Hane agreed. "So, where are they?"

He busied himself with rearranging the glasses. Even that simple action was hard not to watch. The man was graceful as well as charming. "Telma and that girl left with some guy a minute ago in a wagon. He was as excited as you two to see the girl."

"How many long ago was this?"

"Not too long. About ten or fifteen minutes."

Hane and I exchanged looks. We both knew what the other was thinking. If we hurried, we could catch up to them.

"Thanks, man." The knight shook hands with Livius and quickly turned on his heel. "Let's go, Amanda. We don't have much time."

"Right." I turned to follow with Siri right behind me.

When we were heading out the door, he called out to us, ever the businessman. "Make sure you come back now. And stay for a drink next time."

"Don't I always?" Hane said.

"I was talking to the _porquita_, there." Livius winked charmingly at me. "It'll be on me."

I had no idea what "porquita" meant, but I was starting to like being called that.

I knew I was blushing again as we left the warmth of the bar and walked out into the night. Lucky for me it was dark enough that Hane couldn't see my face. Otherwise I'm sure I would've looked like a tomato.

It was starting to sprinkle when we came up the steps and into the alley. The streets were more or less abandoned now–even the animals were gone, having run for cover at the first sight of the summer rain. The dark clouds rumbled with thunder and lightning.

"Let's run for it! We have to catch up to that wagon before we get lost in this storm!" Hane called over the winds that were beginning to pick up.

"Right! I'll have Siri ride with me! You lead the way, Hane!" I answered back.

The horses were prancing on the spot when we reached them. A clap of thunder burst across the sky and Zale jumped. "Easy, boy." I said quietly, so only he could hear. I patted his velvet nose comfortingly. "We're going back to the village now." I knelt down next to Siri. "Ready to get on this guy again?"

She only looked at the horse, then me and nodded. Okay. We'd have to work on speaking with actual words here soon. I mean, she's got to run out of body gestures sometime, right? What would she do then?

I gave Siri a lift up and climbed up behind her. The little Zora shivered in the rain and clung to the saddle horn tightly as I took Zale's reins.

"Hey, Hane? Who was that guy? You two seemed to know each other pretty well." There. I asked it. I knew I probably shouldn't have, but it was too late to take it back now.

Just don't tease me too much, Hane. Please?

"Livius. He works for Telma with his twin sister, Siena. She was probably in the back. They man the bar when Telma can't and help out when it's busy." He grinned. "Why? You interested?"

I quickly covered up my blush with a scowl. "No. I have a boyfriend back home, thank you. Just curious, that's all."

"Ah, that's too bad. Livius is a bit of a playboy, but he's not a bad guy. You two would've made a cute couple." He laughed and pulled his horse to the side as I reached out to swat him on the arm.

"You're terrible." But I giggled a little too. I couldn't help it.

"You know I'm only teasing you. He's much too old for you, anyway."

"What are you, my older brother now?" I began to trot Zale alongside Hane and his horse. "I can choose my own men, thank you. And I'm only...actually, I'll be turning twenty in less than two weeks." Now that I thought about it, it was scary to realize how long I'd been here already.

I wonder if my family was missing me?...Did they even notice I was gone?

"Okay, okay. So you're only a few years younger than me." He gazed over at me. "But after this last day or so, and the time I've spent with you in the village, I realized really am starting to think of you like a sister. I hope you don't think that's too weird..."

It was sweet how concerned he was about my approval. "Aw, and here I was hoping to win your heart and steal you from Maya." In a moment of spontaneity, I winked. "No, Hane. I'm flattered. I've always wanted a brother closer to my age. Just keep the teasing to a minimum if you can."

He nodded and winked right back. "I don't know if I can, but I'll try. Shall we?"

We urged the horses to pick up the pace. Their hooves made a squishing sound against the muddy ground as they galloped up the hill. Siri closed her eyes against the rain that was coming down in sheets now. There were tracks in the mud from the wagon and we followed them closely.

If you remember the route they took, you'd think it wouldn't be so bad, right? Just over the hill was the bridge that spanned across Lake Hylia. The twilight had dissipated, leaving only clear waters below. There was an overwhelming smell of smoke in the air around the bridge, and as I peeked over the edge, I shuddered. I didn't envy him jumping off this thing. You wouldn't be able to get me to do it.

I tensed as we rounded the bend, waiting for fire arrows to fly.

...But none came.

Settling back into the saddle, I just prayed that they weren't waiting to ambush us somewhere. The rock corridor was clear as we galloped our horses through the muddy trail. Nothing. If it hadn't been for the rain, the ride would've been pleasant. Hane and I made it through most of the region without any problems. But...

We still hadn't found any sign of the wagon or Link and that was beginning to worry me.

"Um...Hane?" I said, pulling Zale to a stop at an open gate. This was the first one, which meant the last one was the village's gate. The lock had been discarded on the ground nearby. "I'm starting to get worried. Where could they be?"

"You and me both. With the eastern bridge out, and the southern route blocked, this is the only way they could've gone." He raked his fingers through his hair and scanned the field. "Let's keep going. If we can't find them, we'll take Siri to the village and leave her with Renado. Then we'll come back out and circle back around."

I followed closely behind Hane and kept one eye on my surroundings. There should be bublins with fire arrows around here...

I scanned the fields closely, looking for something. Anything. But all was quiet. Not a bublin or fire arrow in sight.

Finally, my eyes landed on something. A small flicker of a lantern light in the distance.

"Is that them?" I asked, tugging on his arm a little and pointing in the direction I'd seen the light.

Hane squinted, shielding his vision from the rain with a hand. After a moment, he dropped it and smiled at me. "Yes. Safe and sound, it looks like."

"Thank goodness." I breathed a sigh of relief.

We urged our horses forward. As we got closer, I caught a glimpse of Ilia inside the wagon. She was bent low over Ralis, her brow furrowed in worry. The Zora prince laid there, breathing heavily, covered with a soft blanket.

Before we reached the front, I heard Telma whisper, "Something is coming, honey."

"I hear it." I heard Link pull Epona swiftly around and he came around the wagon. His charming hero's clothes were soaked through completely, his dark blond hair wilder than ever, and his hand was on his sword, ready to draw it in a second if he needed to. He slowed when he saw us. I didn't know if it was more relief or exhaustion, but he relaxed. "Hane. Amanda."

"What's going on back there?" Telma called. "Everything all right?"

Hane winked at me and left me alone with him as he trotted up to the front. "Hey there, Miss Telma. It's been a while." I could hear him say. The older woman seemed to settle down and she greeted the knight cheerfully.

We just gazed at each other for a second before we both spoke.

"I–"

"You–"

Before either of us could say anything else, Ilia came to the window and knelt next to it, slipping her legs underneath her and propping her arms on the sill like she used to do back in the village. "Hello, there. You must be one of this nice swordsman's friends. It's nice to meet you."

Her green eyes were friendly, but they had a blankness to them I hadn't seen before. My heart sank. She'd lost her memory after all.

I sent a panicked look at Link, but he just shook his head sadly.

"...Nice to meet you, too. I'm Amanda."

"Amanda...?" Ilia scrunched her face a little like she might remember me, but she just smiled. "What a pretty name. It's certainly unique."

"I think so." I tried to smile back. "Let me know if you need anything once we're back in the village. I'll help in any way I can."

"How kind of you. Thank you." She moved to stand. "I must get back to tending to this Zora. Excuse me."

Link nodded. "Of course. Go right ahead. Don't mind us."

She stood and went back to the other side of the Zora, settling down and taking a fresh cloth to his forehead. As she bent over, I saw her clothes hung loosely on her small frame. She'd lost weight since I last saw her. And there were a few scars along her arms, indicating she hadn't had any easier of a time than we had.

The two of us fell silent again. We'd been close these past several weeks, but with Ilia around things seemed almost...tense.

I took a breath, breaking the quiet and offered him a smile. "Anyway. I was going to say before...I'm glad you're all right. And I see you found Ilia, safe and sound. I'm glad."

"Yeah. It's been a long few days." The swordsman looked like he wanted to say something else, but he must've decided against it because he shot a glance at Ilia and offered me a half smile. "Come on. We're almost there."

"Sure." I let Zale fall into step next to her and we continued on quietly.

It wasn't until turned around a bend and away from the wagon's open window that Link leaned in close, lowering his voice and said, "I'll tell you everything later. I think we've finally hit some good news for you."

Good news? Meaning I might be able to go home soon? Was he serious?

"Really?" I tried to look happy...and I was. But somehow, deep down, it bothered me to hear that. I attempted to relax a little. "That's...great."

I couldn't read his expression at all. "Yeah..."

I felt a rustling in front of me and Siri popped out from underneath a blanket I'd covered her with to protect her bandages. She looked up at me, silent as ever. Her gold eyes were questioning as she glanced at me, then him, as if asking, 'Who is this?'.

"Oh, Siri." I said. "You're so quiet, I almost didn't realize..."

Link asked the question for her, just as curious. "Who is this?"

"This is Siri. We found her deep in the cave. She was help captive and attacked by..." I let my sentence trail off, knowing that he knew what I meant.

He was solemn. "I see. So she was the one..."

"Yeah, but I doubt she stole the larger animals. She's too small for that. I have a feeling it was the creature that did that."

"Well in any case, I'm pleased to meet you Siri." He smiled warmly at her, just like he had at me the first day I'd arrived.

Siri nodded and pulled the blanket around her like she was trying to dive back into a shell.

Hane chuckled from the other side of the wagon. "Don't mind her. She's just shy."

Link raised an eyebrow. "She hasn't spoken at all?"

"Not one word. But we're hoping she does soon. It might give us a clue as to what happened."

We came to the top of another hill now. I could see the small canyon clearly and the bridge that stretched over it. Kakariko village was in the distance, looking as inviting and welcoming as ever. The night had cleared and the rain had stopped. I had no idea what time it was, but it must've been well into the morning.

I should've been happy that we were almost there. But... The silence and strange emptiness of the fields didn't bode well with me. Every time this happened, one of those dark monsters would show up. But that was impossible now, right? We'd sealed it in the cave.

Stop freaking out, Amanda. You're just exhausted. That's all it is.

"Why don't you let the little one ride in the wagon? She looks more than ready to get off Zale." Hane said. "It'll give us a chance to rest for a minute, too."

"That sounds just fine to me." Telma said. "We've been going non-stop since we left the castle town."

"Okay." I agreed. I waited until the wagon stopped completely and then pulled Zale to a stop next to it. I slid off and looked up at the Zora girl. "You want to ride in the wagon instead, Siri?"

She nodded and let me help her off the horse. The Zora slipped her hand into mine and followed me around to the back while the other two slid off their horses and stretched.

I perched my hip on the step on the back of the wagon and pulled the canvas aside. "Mind if Siri rides back here? She's getting tired of riding horseback."

"Hmm?" Ilia looked up from tending to Ralis and offered a comforting smile to the Zora girl. If she was surprised to see another Zora, she didn't show it. "Of course not." She moved over to where we were and offered a hand to help her up. "Come on. Climb up carefully now."

As soon as she was safely inside the wagon she opened her mouth. I waited hopefully as she strained to form words. but nothing came out. Her gold eyes looked apologetic and I patted her shoulder comfortingly. "It's all right. I understand, Siri."

"Yes, don't worry about a thing. You can come sit by me. We'll take care of Ralis together, okay?"

Siri settled down next to Ilia and I let the canvas drop back into place. I was jumping down from the wagon when Link came around back.

"Everything okay back here?" He asked.

"Yep. Siri looks a lot more comfortable now." I said. Reaching back, I rubbed my back. "I wouldn't mind walking a bit myself. Riding Zale is painful after a while."

Zale's ears perked and he snorted, shaking his head.

The swordsman laughed a little. "I think he heard you."

I laughed too, and started to lean against the wagon when the ground rumbled underneath my feet. Link was there in an instant, slipping an arm around my waist to steady me. Hane ran around to the back, just as the ground shook again. He lurched backwards and gripped the side of the wagon for support.

Ilia pulled the canvas aside and poked her head out. "What was that?" She asked frowning.

As if answering her question, something burst out of the ground in front of us. Bits of dirt and grass went flying everywhere. Its long and sleek black body crashed down, shaking everything around it. With a sharp hiss, it glared at us.

I wanted to smack my forehead.

The snake had escaped.

"What the–?" Hane looked as surprised as I was to see the creature.

But Link was ready. He had already dashed forward with incredible speed, sword drawn. He slashed at the belly of the snake, sending it recoiling back. With another hiss, it dove back underground as fast as it had appeared.

"Whoa, there!" Telma tugged on the reins as her animals danced around frantically. But it was no use. With one swift tug, they broke free of the restraints holding them to the wagon and were running towards the hills.

I didn't blame those poor things. If you'd have seen how many bones and such we're left in the cave, you'd be running too.

The area quieted and Link sheathed his sword, frowning. "I thought you two took care of this thing."

"Yeah, funny story about that..." Hane ran his fingers through his hair and planted a hand on his hip. "We had to just seal it in the cave. There was no way to kill it in that small space. It was just too strong."

"Well, you'd better do something about it now, honey!" Telma called from the front. "Otherwise we won't make it to the village in one piece! That thing will come back sooner or later!"

"No kidding." It sure was persistent. I sighed and rubbed my sore back as I jumped onto the back of the wagon to think.

What could we now that we hadn't already tried on that thing?

"Actually," Link said, not even a second later. "If you two are willing to help me, I think have an idea."

Hane and I exchanged glances. This guy was good. "Go on." He said.

A minute or two later, Telma and I had hitched Zale to her wagon to replace the animals that had run. I gave my mount a pat on the nose and used the side of the wagon to climb onto Epona's back.

"You know what to do, right Telma?" Link asked.

She gave him a nod. "Don't you worry about us, honey. You just concentrate on keeping that ugly thing away from the village."

"I'm going to go fast. Hang on to me, Amanda." He said to me over his shoulder.

I knew it was the smart thing to do. You know, hang on. But I wish the idea of it didn't make me feel so uncomfortable. We'd known each other for weeks now but neither of us had done anything more than hug quickly. And it was completely friendly. This seemed so..._more_ than friendly.

"Amanda, you'll fall off and get hurt that way." There was a little humor in his voice as he gestured to my light grip on his waist. "I don't bite, I promise. Hold on tighter. Like this." He pulled my arms around him so I was hugging his waist securely. My discomfort had just shot to a whole new level. I tried to shake it off as he continued, "You'll only have one shot at this, so make sure you're ready."

"Got it." I said.

Hane pulled on his horse's reins gently as he started to prance. "It's coming."

Telma slapped the reins against Zale's back and he picked up a brisk trot across the canyon's bridge. We followed behind everyone with a good deal of space between us and Hane. It wasn't until we were across that the ground began to shake again.

"Telma! Go!" Hane called, drawing his sword.

She yelled a "Hah!" and urged Zale to go faster. He responded, picking up the pace to a slow gallop, enough to keep the wagon safe from the monster and to keep from tipping over if they needed to turn.

The snake burst from the ground behind Hane he pulled his horse to a sudden stop to block it's path. It wouldn't do much for long, but it was enough to buy Link and I a few minutes. He cantered Epona across the bridge and pulled her sharply to the right, in the direction of an old, aging tree.

"You ready?" He called over the rushing air swirling around us.

"Yeah!" I said.

I carefully loosened my grip around his waist as we approached the tall tree. With one quick (and kind of clumsy) movement, I pushed myself up. As soon as I was directly underneath a branch, I reached up and grabbed it. I used my legs to latch onto the sturdy wood and pull myself on top to a sitting position.

My view of the fields was limitless. I saw pretty much everything from my perch in the tree. Including the giant snake and the two swordsman trying to contain it. They were having a difficult time. Every time one would try and strike it, it would just lash out at them with it's tail and try to send them flying.

They'd been lucky so far, but I didn't know how long that would last.

Time to jump in and help.

I pulled the Ice Rod out and started to picture snow and ice, like I'd been taught by the princess. The tip of the rod began to glow and get colder. I waited until I had a clear shot and then...

"Take this!" I pointed the rod towards the monster and out came an explosion of blue light. Little bits of the light shaped almost like snowflakes flew out behind as it went towards it's intended target.

The ice hit the snake's middle and pinned it to the ground. He took the opportunity to slice at it's head while Hane went for the tail. It gave that unhuman cry as the blades sliced through it. The snake thrashed against the ground wildly, struggling to get free.

It seemed to be working.

I climbed up higher for another shot. The ice was breaking and it would need to be contained again.

The monster gave another tug and the ice shattered. Before I could shoot at it again, it dove underground.

From where I was, I could hear Hane saying, "Where did it go?"

Link didn't say anything, but he looked uneasy.

Tucking the Ice Rod under one arm, I stood and reached for the next branch. Maybe I could see more from higher up. The ground beneath the tree rumbled just as I got a good grip on the branch above me. Without warning, the snake burst out from underneath the earth and slammed against the tree hard.

"Ahh!" I screamed I tried to hold on. Another swipe of the monster's tail and the branch underneath me was gone.

It turned it's black, ugly head and hissed at me.

Oh dear. It seems to remember me from before.

"Amanda! Hang on!" I could hear Link yell.

I felt my hands slip as the creature slammed into the tree. Gritting my teeth, I tried to get a better grip. I wasn't ready for the snake to slam into the tree again so quickly and I lost my hold, falling right where it wanted me.

Which was into it's waiting tail.

It coiled it around my body tightly and threw me down against the ground, making me lose my grip on the Ice Rod. It went sliding a few feet away. The sound of hooves made it raise it's head. As both of them got closer, it swung the other half of it's body and knocked both of the swordsmen off their horses.

The snake looked back at me almost as if it was smirking in triumph.

Great. A smart monster. What was next? Would it talk, too?

"Hane! Are you all right?" I called out.

For a moment, I didn't see anything, but slowly someone got up from the ground.

"Are you?" Hane called back to me as he picked up his sword.

"Yeah! But–"

My sentence was cut off as the snake yanked me up from the ground and attempted to strike again. When it turned it's head, a blur of green, gold, and brown dropped down and cut through the tail. He landed on the ground below me and caught me easily.

"Go for it's head now." I could hear Midna whisper from his shadow.

"Already on it, Midna." Link set me down several feet away next to Hane. "Protect her." Hane nodded as Link gripped his sword tightly and pulled out his shield.

Just like before, the snake attempted to strike by throwing it's weight around. With all it's strength, it launched at him. This time he was more than ready. He threw his shield up and pushed it back onto the ground. The next part happened so fast, that if I'd have blinked, I probably would have missed it.

Link tossed the shield aside and leapt into the air, blade pointed downward towards the head of the creature. There was a sickening crunch as the weapon ripped through flesh and bone. A strange black mist enveloped the remains of the snake and evaporated into the night air. He sliced through the air again and twirled his sword skillfully, sheathing it. When the mist cleared, the snake was gone and he was walking back towards us, shield on his back and my Ice Rod in hand.

"Well that's that." Hane murmured, sheathing his own sword. "But wow, what a defeat..."

My thoughts echoed his own. Where in the heck had he learned to do _that_?

"Did the wagon make it back safe?" Link asked.

"Yeah, it got into the village a while ago, safe and sound."

He handed me my Ice Rod and I tucked it safely away. "Are you all right?"

Hane nodded. "Yep. Just fine."

His gentle blue eyes turned on me. "Amanda?"

"A little sore, but I'm okay." I glanced around at the empty fields. "But what about the horses?"

"Oh, they're okay." Hane stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Epona and his own horse came out from behind the brush. Epona shook her head to free herself from the leaves tangled in her mane, and the other horse followed suit. "See?"

When they trotted over, Link gave me a leg up onto Epona and climbed on after me. "Hang on tight and we'll be there in a few minutes, okay?"

I mumbled a positive response as I wound my arms around his waist and leaned against him for support. It would've been as awkward as before, but I was exhausted enough not to care right at that moment. I felt Epona start off and I closed my eyes against the rushing wind.

I must've drifted off because the next thing I knew, someone was pulling me off of Epona and began to carry me.

My eyes flew open and I struggled a little as I tried to regain my bearings.

"Relax, Amanda. It's just me." Link set me down carefully on the ground and held me up until I got my footing.

I rubbed an eye sleepily. "Sorry. I didn't realize how tired I was."

"Don't apologize. It's been a long few days for all of us. But you should go up and get some rest."

"I will. After I see how Siri is doing."

"I'll go with you. I want to check on Ilia and make sure she's all right." He said.

I felt something ugly rear it's head inside me. Of course Link wanted to check on her. Now that she was back, it was all about Ilia, right? I mean, the game had practically revolved around her around the time of the water temple. Why should it be any different?

...Whoa.

I shook my head a little. Where did _that _come from?

Was I...jealous?

No, I couldn't be. I was tired. That's why I was paranoid earlier (the snake popping up was just a coincidence. A coincidence, I tell you) and now why I'm feeling like this when I have absolutely no reason to.

I really need to go to bed and get some rest before I go insane.

One of the villagers offered to put the horses away and brush them down and we handed them over gratefully. As we climbed up the ramp and entered the inn, Maya and Jillian were sitting at a table, talking quietly with Telma. They all turned to look in our direction as Link shut the door behind him.

Jillian looked over us once and stood. "Soaking wet, just like the rest of them. Let me get you a dry towel, my dears."

"Thanks, Jillian." I said as she went up the stairs to grab one from the linen wardrobe. "Can you ask Renado when it would be okay to talk to Siri? I want to ask her a few things."

"Of course. I'll just be right back."

Telma was eyeing me with a mild curiosity. I blinked. "Wh-what is it?"

"I never would've suspected such a frail-looking young woman could be just as strong and comforting presence as those swordsman. You're really something to keep up with them." She said.

Frail? I could understand the tiny remark from the thief a few nights ago (I am short), but frail? Really?

"I'm just glad you made it here safely. Though I didn't really do much." I replied, shooting a look at my friend, who sitting next to her. Maya nodded and pointed at the mirror behind me when she saw the questioning in my expression.

One look in the mirror told me all I needed to know. That yes, I did look that bad. Worse, actually. My normally auburn hair had turned dark brown (almost black) from being wet and was plastered to my skin, which had gone pale and nearly white from the cold air. My clothes were soaked, muddy, and in need of washing.

The only redeeming thing it seemed, was that it made my green-brown eyes stand out more. But the overall effect made me seem like a piece of delicate china. Girl I may be, but breakable dishware I was not.

The urge to do something crazy to prove my independence was rearing up.

As if I wasn't already acting crazy enough.

I was saved by Jillian as she came back down and draped a towel gently over my shoulders. "Here, Amanda dear. Go change and dry yourself off before you catch a cold. Renado is waiting for you two upstairs when you're ready."

"Thank you, Jillian." Link said, wrapping his own towel around himself. He placed his hands on my shoulders and steered me up the winding staircase. "Come on. Let's go." He lowered his voice and I knew he was grinning. "Before you do something to correct her choice of words."

When we came into the large, open bedroom, it had been divided by the curtain. A folding screen had been set out in the corner so people could change in privacy. I quickly changed into my Kakariko skirt and shirt and stepped back out.

With Link behind me, I tugged at the curtain, pulling it aside. Renado was bent over the Zora prince, the muted light casting a soft glow on his furrowed brow. Ilia was sitting next to the bed, her shoulders slumped from fatigue and worry. Colin was standing beside Ilia, hand on her arm comfortingly. Hane was sitting in a chair beside the opposite bed, arms folded. Link went over to stand on the other side of Ilia, speaking with her softly, as not to disturb the Zoras.

Renado regarded me quietly before gazing at the Zora girl, who was still silent as she lay on another bed. "It's all right, Amanda. You may come in and see her."

"Thank you." I stepped over to the bed quietly and kneeled next to it on the free side. "Hey, Siri. How are you feeling?" Siri opened her eyes and sat up a little. She touched her throat and pointed to a cup that sat on the night stand. "Oh, I see. Renado gave you medicine. Do you feel better?" She nodded. "I'm glad. You just rest now, okay?"

Renado came around the side of the bed. "This young one will be just fine. Her injuries weren't severe." He said. "I do not know what caused her to lose her voice, but I suspect she will be able to speak with time."

"That's good to hear." I sighed. "Did she show any signs of knowing Ralis?"

"No. But as soon as she speaks, she'll let us know what happened. Until then, we mustn't pressure her."

I felt Siri tug on my arm. "What is it?" I asked. She pointed at Hane, who was nodding off. The Zora reached over and picked up a pillow and handed it to me. I knew she wanted me to give it to the knight to make him more comfortable, but I had a better idea.

I took it in my hands and hit him playfully over the head with it. Startled, he fell out of his chair and onto the floor. "Wh-wha? What is it?"

Tossing the pillow to him, I laughed. "Siri says to sleep in your own bed."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going." He yawned and laughed a little himself as he struggled to get up. "If I can make it the ten feet to my bed."

"I have faith in you." I stretched. "I'm going to go downstairs for a bit. I want to visit with Maya."

Hane straightened the chair and used it to pull himself up. "Okay. But I'm heading to bed. Night."

"Goodnight." I said my goodnights to everyone else and stepped back outside the curtain. I just managed to avoid being run over by Beth and Luda, who were running into the room with their hands full.

When I say 'just managed', I mean I avoided them, and then Beth bumped into me on purpose.

"Oops. Excuse me, outsider." She said with a smirk, tossing her short hair with all the sass she could manage. Before I could say anything, she disappeared behind the curtain with Luda. I wanted to go throttle her, but I decided against it. Visiting with my friend seemed like a much safer idea.

I went downstairs and into the kitchen. Telma was nowhere to be found, but Maya and Jillian greeted me warmly.

"We're so glad you're back safe." Maya said.

"Yes. We worry about you having to be around men all the time. They better be treating you like a lady."

Which really meant, '_I _worry about you being around men alone all the time.'

Maya and I both rolled our eyes. On the inside, of course. Jillian meant well.

I shook my head. "When I was growing up, all of the kids my age were boys. I'm perfectly comfortable, Jillian. They treat me well."

"Oh! Speaking of growing up..." Maya's eyes were sparkling.

"Huh?"

"You have a birthday coming up in a little less than a week, don't you, dear?" Jillian asked. "Hane told us about it."

Flustered, I waved my hands. "Oh you don't need to do any–"

"Don't try to deny it."

"I'm not trying to–"

"She's trying to deny it. Maya, do something."

Argh. They were ignoring me.

"Oh, yes. We must do something." Maya looked excited as she tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "We could have a party for you here! It's not every day a girl turns twenty!"

I threw my hands up in defeat and laughed. Her excitement was contagious. "I'd love that, but don't go through any trouble on my account."

"It's no trouble at all. Maya and I would love to plan something for you." Jillian looked happy at the idea, too. "Besides, it's customary to throw a huge celebration when a young woman turns twenty. It's the age when she reaches adulthood."

"It's different for a guy." Her daughter explained. "Something to do with the hero of legends."

I suppose that made sense. It was the same with Wind Waker, if I remembered correctly.

"This will be so much fun! There's customary clothes to wear and everything!"

"I could make them with good material easily. We could get flowers from town."

"Ooh, and there has to be sweets! Lots of them!"

"Don't worry about that. We'll make a special dinner, too. What do you think about all this, Amanda?"

I shook my head and tried not to smile, though it was not working at all. "I think this party is happening with or without me."

"Oh no, it's not. We're not going to go through all this planning just to have you not be there." Jillian waggled a finger at me sternly. "You tell that boy that you two are to be here in exactly one week."

"Y-yes, ma'am." There was no arguing with that.

She picked up a tray from the counter filled with mugs and perched it against her hip. The sweet smell of a different tea wafted from each of the cups. "Now if you'll excuse me, girls, I'm going to deliver these up to everyone upstairs. Make sure you get to bed soon."

"We will, mom." Maya gave her mother a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before sitting down with me at the table. "Now, tell me about this Zora girl upstairs and what happened."

Like the good friend that she was, she sat there quietly while we sipped our own tea and I described the situation with the Zoras and Ilia. She was quiet for the most part, but she asked a few questions and nodded in response to my answers.

"So this 'Siri' hasn't spoken a word at all?" She asked, bringing her cup to her lips.

"No. But I have a feeling she'll be okay. I'm more worried about Ralis." He hadn't looked too good when I'd slipped from the room earlier. "Renado is staying with him tonight, to make sure he'll pull through. Ilia won't leave his side, either."

Maya set her cup down calmly. "Well that won't do, will it? Let's go see if we can get her to rest." She eyed me and patted my shoulder in a sisterly gesture. "You need sleep, too."

"No argument here."

She laughed. "That's a first."

"Hey now, I'm not that bad."

"Amanda, I'm saying this as your friend...Yes, you are that bad." She giggled and hugged me. "But we still love you anyway."

"Thanks. ...I think."

I stood up to set my cup in the sink, but something hit my body full force and stopped me. The cup in my hand fell onto the floor and shattered into a thousand little pieces. Whatever it was enveloped me in a warm light and lifted me off the floor. It felt like something was trying to pull me away. But no way was I going with it without a fight.

I struggled against the pull as I fell to my knees.

It was a hard feeling to describe...like a million thoughts and voices rushing at you at once. I couldn't understand any of them, let alone discern one from another. Then there was the feeling of complete warmth and lightness rushing through my whole body.

It wasn't painful, but it was too much to take in all at one time.

"Amanda?" Maya looked frightened, and I didn't blame her. It's not every day a person starts glowing in your kitchen.

"Go...get...help...!" I managed to say through everything that was coming at me. "Hurry...!"

I didn't hear her response, but I did see her running out of the kitchen Toward the front as if her life depended on it. Everyone was still awake. If she hurried, maybe I wouldn't completely disappear.

The light got brighter and the room began to spin. It was close to the feeling you got when stepping through the portal Midna made with her twilight magic, but much more powerful. I heard but didn't see anyone come into the room. The light was covering everything.

I felt a firm hand steady me. The last thing I heard before I was engulfed completely was the familiar sound of an ocarina.

It's lilting, sweet sound carried me off into the air.

But just where was I going? And most important of all...

...Why?


	25. Unwelcome Reunion

**Chapter Twenty-Five - Unwelcome Reunion**

I felt dizzy and sick. The rushing hadn't subsided, and it seemed to be getting faster now. The music, which had almost become a horrible piercing sound now, kept up with the quick pace and I had to cover my ears to try and drown it out. It wasn't working.

If only someone would just make it stop.

I could barely make out someone's words. "Bear with it for a few more moments, Amanda." I felt a warm hand on the back of my head and the pain subsided a little.

"_You_ bear with it for a few more minutes." I tried to make my words come out teasingly, but all I managed to do was snap at whoever was giving me what little relief I had.

It must've done the trick though, because whoever it was laughed warmly. "That's the spirit." The voice said.

I wasn't ready for a sudden stop or the _whoosh_ of air it brought with it. My head was still spinning violently as the area around me came into focus. My feet brushed the floor lightly, as the wind settled. I looked up and saw him looking back down at me.

"You're certainly a lot of trouble, you know that?" He said with a stern look on his face, much like the ones Jillian would give all too often. I would've taken his comment the wrong way if I hadn't seen the mischievous glint in his dark blue eyes.

I shook my head. "I could say the same about you, ranch hand. Just look what you've gotten me into."

The wind chose that moment to drop us on the ground. I wasn't ready for it and my legs wobbled, causing me to fall against him.

"Careful." He said, steadying me.

"?"

He held me up long enough to swing me over and set me in a chair. "Excuse me for a moment."

"Wha–?"

There was no time for me to stop what he did next.

He was a blur as he moved and grabbed a fistful of the hero's shirt and shoved him up against the wall with almost abnormal strength. "What the hell is the matter with you? There were people around us!" Link's dark blue eyes were all anger and fire, and I saw now why people said he had the eyes of a beast. "You could've hurt them or Amanda!"

"I will answer any questions you have, but first you will let go of me." The hero was perfectly calm, as if he knew he could win no matter what anyone did. "I assure you, I will not hesitate to throw you in the dungeon again." He looked at me as he said the last bit. "No matter how much this woman pleads."

I clenched my fists so tight, my nails began to cut into my skin. Now _I _wanted to let him have it. "What it this all about?" And what had happened to his friendly demeanor from last time?

His eyes narrowed and he smirked a little. I didn't like the look in his eye... "And are you such a coward that you feel the need to throw me in the dungeon every time you don't get your way?"

Oh boy. Now he's done it.

This isn't going to end well, is it?

"I'm warning you..." The hero growled.

"That is quite enough." A female voice cut him off. We all turned to see the princess standing there, frowning. She held a light blue ocarina in her hand. "Both of you. Stop this at once. This is neither the place, nor the time."

Ah-ha. So she did it. Remind me to thank her later.

"Please...release your hold on him." She said, gesturing to his tight grip on the hero's shirt. "I assure you, we won't harm you or her."

The two stood side by side, almost mirror images of each other. Neither of them budged. The wild, untamed beast on one side, and the princely, charming (though a bit arrogant) hero on the other. This situation would probably be a dream come true for most girls, but right now I'm starting to get a headache.

I _really_ hope he doesn't decide to throw him in jail again just because he feels like it.

"Do as the princess says." He looked both incredibly amused and annoyed now. I swore I him snort. "I'm not going to hurt you or her."

He stepped back reluctantly and but he didn't move far away from me. "If you try anything funny, or attempt to lay a hand on her again..."

This time he really did snort. "Don't be stupid. I could take you down in a second."

"What did you just say?"

Ugh. This was getting stupid. I stepped between them, pushing them both back a little. "Knock it off."

The princess sighed. "Miss Amanda. May I speak with you?"

"Of course, your highness." I ignored the silent protest he gave me with his eyes and followed them out of the room towards the drawing room from before. It must have been a favorite room of hers, because she visibly relaxed as she entered.

Of course, that could've just been because we were away from those two. They radiated tension when they were within three feet of each other.

I sat with my legs crossed, hands folded in my lap neatly. The princess sat across from me, sitting up straight, almost stiffly. Her attendant was standing behind her high-backed chair, arms folded.

I felt like I had done something to apologize for. You know that look you get from your parents or even a teacher when you've been discovered for something you've done that you really shouldn't have? Yeah, they were both giving off those kinds of vibes.

It was kind of scary. They didn't say anything. Just...stared.

Guess it was up to me to start things, then.

"I apologize for that scene, your highness. It's just...been a long few days and we're both exhausted." I said, trying my hardest to stifle a yawn. I didn't think it was proper to yawn in front of royalty. "Things...aren't exactly quiet back where we are."

The attendant shook her head. "Please, Miss Amanda. No need to apologize for someone else's actions."

"No, I do." I sighed and muttered to myself, "He probably won't."

"Be that as it may," The princess interrupted, her voice a little too sharp than what I'd come to expect from her. "There is another thing I hope you _can_ explain."

Uh-oh.

I have a bad feeling about this.

"Come with me." She rose, her gloved hands moving her skirts carefully out of the way as she started towards the curtained window.

I followed after her quietly. It wasn't odd to see the grand windows closed and covered by the long, velvety, royal violet curtains. It was nighttime, after all. What was strange was that there was dim light coming from behind them. When she stopped and didn't do anything else, I sent a questioning look at her.

"Go ahead." The attendant said from the other side of me. "Look outside."

What I saw made me scream. I fumbled with the lock to the door and scrambled outside onto the terrace to get a better look. Neither of them stopped me and the curtain dropped back into place, leaving me alone outside.

A few seconds later, I heard shouting out in the hall. I heard the door burst open and someone running in, the clanking of armor and another close behind.

"Where is she?"

"Calm yourself." I heard her say. "She's out on the terrace."

The curtains flew open and he covered the length of the terrace in a few steps, grabbing me by the arms. "Amanda! What's wrong?" He shook me a little when I didn't answer right away. "Did they do something to you? Tell me!"

"I...no..." I took a deep breath and met his eyes. "?...Look...Just...look behind me..."

He gave me a look before turning to pull aside the curtains. He froze, his expression a mix of shock and anger as he took in what I'd seen only seconds before. But mostly shock. I turned to glance out across the landscape to reassure myself I'd really seen what I thought I had. Oh, but I had. And it couldn't be worse.

The land of the past...was covered in Twilight.

Not all of it, mind you. But several parts of it. It lie in the direction of the lake, the temple, and a few other places I couldn't name. I'd never seen them before.

"No..." His voice was barely audible. "Not here, too..."

"I take it you know what that is." The hero's voice came sharply from behind us.

"Of course I do. But it has nothing to do with her, so why did you bring her here?"

"Ever since she showed up, monsters have appeared, and that weird Twilight started to cover different parts of the country."

I opened my mouth to object, but the princess' attendant did that for me. "That's not fair. We discussed this already and we agreed that you weren't going to blame either of them for this."

"Yeah, well after what I've seen I'm starting to think otherwise."

"Link!" The princess sounded shocked.

"That's more than enough." He said, taking my arm. "We're leaving."

"No, you're not."

"Unless you can discuss this with the manner I've come to expect and trust from you, then they can do as they please." The look on her face meant she was just as serious as he was.

The room seemed to almost hum with a strange vibe. Like something was compelling me to be angry with them. And it was a strong feeling. But I knew I had no reason to be. They were just frustrated, right? I didn't think they meant any harm. And the hero's attitude was so completely a contrast to the one I'd seen before. He was stubborn and set in his ways, but he'd never been cruel.

I needed to stay and figure out just what was going on here.

He didn't seem to be affected like they were, but I stayed close just in case. "Let's hear what they have to say." I whispered, so only he could hear.

"Are you sure, Amanda?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure." I said. "What is it you want?"

"I want you to get rid of this thing that's covered this country."

"She can't and she won't."

"She'll do it or I'll have both of you arrested for causing this whole fiasco."

I knew he knew it wasn't our fault, but he looked angry all the same. I was slowly getting the feeling that this was the way it was going to be no matter what. As I considered my options, I almost had the urge to say I'd rather deal with the castle dungeon instead. I hated deep water beyond all reason. But now was not the time to argue.

Before I could say anything, there was a cackling that came from under his feet, and Midna slipped up from the shadows. She gave a twirl and clasped her hands behind her back, giving him a toothy grin. "So, this is the famed 'hero'!" She leaned closer and studied him intently. "How very interesting, Eee hee! You two do look alike!"

"What the–?" He drew his sword quickly and attempted to strike.

We both knew that it would do no good, so we didn't bother trying to stop it. She was too fast, for one thing. And for another, she was a shadow outside of the Twilight. The sword would go right through her.

"Whoops! Missed!" She giggled as he nearly fell over and folded her arms behind her head. "Wanna try that again? I can guarantee it won't work, but you're welcome to give it another shot."

He sure looked like he wanted to, but he wisely sheathed his sword. "I take it you have something do with all this as well."

"Perhaps. I might be persuaded to tell you about it, too. How to get rid of it, even. For a price."

"Name it."

"Cut all this nonsense. This isn't their fault. It's _yours._"

"Ours?" The princess frowned. "I don't see what you mean."

"Actually, it's the fault of your ancestors, if we're being specific here. You and hero boy over there just added to the mess."

Ah, I knew what she was talking about. The story they'd heard in the cave down at the lake. She must've somehow known their story as well and pieced it together.

"Midna!" I hissed. "Knock it off."

"Why should I? They're the ones putting you two into the middle of more problems that aren't your fault."

"Perhaps." The hero interjected. "But I believe they are the key to solving the problem. If what Amanda said the last time we spoke is to be believed, then it is partly her fault. And by the look in your eyes, spirit..." He looked at him calmly. "He's the only one who can rid this place of that odd twilight. I've already tried to enter it, and I cannot."

"I'm not going to let you put her in more danger just because you want a task completed."

"I told you. The temples are connected like two parts of a puzzle. The only way to banish this twilight is to have one of you in each to complete it. Besides...there are others suffering as well. The Zoras are trapped in the lake."

"So you'd sacrifice her safety to save others?"

"You'd sacrifice the lives of others to save one?"

This wasn't going to end was it? I didn't know who was right anymore, I just didn't want them or anyone to fight. We were supposed to be on the same side for goodness sakes. Was this what the princess had meant when she said to watch out for his influence. Was he trying to turn us against each other?

Not if I could help it.

"Stop!"

Both of them quieted and looked at me. The princess and her attendant had been silent for a while now, merely observing. I think Midna had hurt her feelings a bit with her accusations. I knew it wasn't really her fault. She'd tried to do what she'd believed was right to save her home.

"What is it Miss Amanda?" She asked softly.

"I'll do it."

"Amanda–" He started.

"No, just stop it. Right now. Have you forgotten what you've been told?" My voice wavered between angry, hurt, and wanting to burst into tears. They'd been talking about me like I wasn't even in the room and it was making me sick. "It's his fault. He's done this. Not either of you. But you're acting like the other caused it, and it's ridiculous!"

The hero was silent, something I hadn't seen before. He looked as if he was contemplating my words.

I'm totally improvising here, by the way.

"Stop fighting each other and work together to fight this. Or it'll just get worse and you'll have no one to blame but yourselves." I turned on my heel and went through the double doors, slamming them behind me.

I felt like stomping down the corridor, but my shoes wouldn't make any satisfying sounds on the carpet, so I wasn't going to bother. It was no good to stomp when you couldn't rattle the halls with the _clomp, clomp, clomp _of your boots.

Guh. They both made me so mad. If you ever wished you could meet them, take it back. They'll drive you crazy.

_So_ not cute.

"Miss Amanda."

"Ack!" I jumped at the sound of the princess' voice. I hadn't even heard her come up behind me. I was too busy fuming to notice.

"I didn't mean to frighten you. I apologize." She looked troubled.

"No, your highness. It's all right. I..." I sighed. "I'm sorry for yelling in there. I'm not used to being around royalty and I didn't mean to overstep–"

She held up a hand. "You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, I think you did what should've been done."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked.

"After the life I've led so far, I'm not sure about anything." She said. "But I can see you're trying to do what you can and that's enough for me to trust you. I've been placed in situations I'm ill-equipped to handle more than once. The important thing is not to get discouraged. We'll figure out a way to end this. Please try not to worry about it very much, Miss Amanda."

Easy for you to say. You don't know the extent of what I know.

I saw him come out of the drawing room and walk towards us. He stopped just behind the princess. He looked like he wanted to say something–anything–but he couldn't seem to form words.

She looked at me then him and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'll leave you two alone." She said. "Remember what I said, okay?"

"I will. Thank you." I said. She smiled and turned to continue down the hall, her attendant appearing from a doorway and following close behind.

"It seems you've made up your mind." He said.

"I have."

He offered me a smile, but it seemed forced. "I guess I can't stop you, then." He moved past me, then added, "At least stay here until tomorrow."

I felt a pang when he didn't say anything more. I nodded. "Sure." I replied quietly.

I waited until I couldn't hear him anymore and then started down the hall to my own room. Sleep would do me some good.

Hopefully in the morning I'd feel better about the decision I'd made. Even if he didn't.

* * *

The room I was in for the night was just down the hall from his. It was the same one I'd had when I'd come here the first time. Candles lit the room dimly, casting eerie shadows on the pale walls and furniture. The sheer curtains covering the doors to the terrace flowed softly in the breeze.

I wanted to sleep. I really, really did. I'd been awake for nearly two days straight. But for some reason, I just couldn't.

Why was it always like this?

I pulled the soft covers over my head, hoping to block out the world and just drift off. A few moments later, there was a soft knock at the door. I threw my covers off and pulled on my robe, slipping out of bed to answer it. It wasn't like I was going to sleep anyway.

He was standing outside of the door when I opened it. Dressed in soft brown pants and a simple white shirt, he sheepishly tugged at his wild hair that was sticking up all over the place.

"You can't sleep either, huh?" I asked softly.

"No, not really." He said. "Can we talk for a while?"

I nodded and stepped aside so he could come in. "Sure."

"Actually...I thought we could take a walk." He said. "...If you don't mind."

"Really? Can we do that?"

"Why not? It's not like they've confined us to our rooms with guards posted outside." He offered me his arm like the gentleman he was. "What do you say, my lady?" He grinned a little, eyes twinkling.

Something inside me gave a sigh of relief. I tied the sash of my robe and reached for my slippers. Straightening, I slipped my own arm into his. "I say let us go, good sir." I lowered my voice and giggled. "Before we get caught. I have the feeling that they'd rather not have us wandering around where they can't watch us."

"You got that feeling, too, huh? Well, let us hurry, then."

We tiptoed down the corridor and around the corner into the sun room I'd been in the first time I was here. A small fire cast dim shadows on the wall as he led me across the room. Pulling aside the curtains, he pushed open the glass doors.

"You'll love this." He said.

"What is it?"

"Here, close your eyes for a second." He offered me his hand. "Don't worry. I'll guide you out."

I placed my hand in his. "I know. I trust you."

I closed my eyes and he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling the velvety curtains aside. I could feel a soft breeze brush my face and hair as it made my nightgown flutter gracefully around my ankles. The soft sounds of flowing water were nearby and crickets chirped musically in the night.

"Just a another few steps..." He pulled me forward. "Okay. Go ahead and look."

I wasn't prepared for what I saw. We were standing in an expansive garden. And that's putting it loosely. There were flowers _everywhere, _going for miles it seemed. In every color you could imagine. Reds combined with pinks. Purples and blues mixed with golds and yellows. Delicate white climbing flowers and ivy covered the stone walls and pillars, and flowering trees and shrubs shaded a waterfall. A rocky stream ran through it all, with a beautifully detailed wooden bridge stretching over it.

I'd never seen _this _before.

"Wow...I've...never seen anything like this." Really. I hadn't. "How did you find this place?"

"I was wandering around earlier today and stumbled upon it." He said. "Come on. I know a good place we can sit."

He led me across the wooden bridge and down a dirt path to a swing that hung from a tree with bright red, exotic-looking flowers. I felt like I'd seen them before.

I settled down next to him on the swing, tucking my feet underneath me carefully and wrapping my robe tighter around myself. "So what's going on?" I asked. "Something must be bothering you if you're still up this late. You're usually out like a light."

"I really don't know." He draped an arm over the back of the swing and rubbed at his temples a little. "I just know that after I was told about the temple at the bottom of the lake, I haven't been able to sleep. And when I do, I have nightmares."

"Is that why you looked so tired when we saw you with Telma?"

"You noticed, huh?"

"I don't think there was one of us that _didn't_ notice. You looked dead on your feet." I propped my head on my fist. "Do you want to talk about it?..."

He sighed, not saying anything for a few moments. When he finally spoke, he was staring straight ahead. "...It's always the same thing. I see a huge body of water and flashes of someone drowning. I try to save them, but something always pulls me back." His normally handsome features were tense and he was frowning as he spoke. Almost as if it was physically painful for him to recall these things.

I patted his hand gently. "Does it end there?"

"Fortunately, there's nothing else I can remember. I usually wake up after that."

"...What do you think your dreams are about?"

"I don't know. I've been an orphan since I was a little kid, and I can't remember my parents. It may have to do with my past."

"You've lived in the village ever since you can remember, then?"

"Yeah. The villagers took me in. Mayor Bo and Ilia especially. They're the first ones I remember knowing." He smiled slightly. "Ilia was the one who pushed her father and Rusl to build me my own house. She can be a bit bossy sometimes."

I tried not to chuckle. "If I remember correctly, she was the one who stole your horse on numerous occasions. Does she always just take charge like that?"

"Yeah. She means well, though. We've been good friends ever since we were kids."

A childhood sweetheart. I felt that ugly feeling from earlier in the day start to bubble up again. Quickly, I changed the subject before I opened my mouth and said something stupid. "Are you going to be okay tomorrow, then? I mean with the lake and all..."

"Yeah. They're kind of not giving me a choice here. I'm just sorry I've dragged you into this, too."

"No...This is all my fault. If I wasn't here, this never would've happened."

"You don't know that, Amanda. It still might have happened regardless."

"Maybe..."

"This is dangerous. I wish there was some way you didn't have to go through with it...But with what's happened..." His blue eyes bore into mine as he sighed. "...There's just no other way."

"I know. Don't worry, I'm tough. I'll be okay."

Unexpectedly, he took my hand and kissed it softly. I felt a shiver go up my arm as his lips touched my skin and my heart beat a little faster. "Too late." He murmured. That uncomfortable feeling was back. I wanted to pull away, but I stayed as I was. He gazed at me for another moment before breaking eye contact and standing up. "We'd better get to bed."

"Y-yeah..." I stood up with him and straightened my nightgown, following him back into the castle.

He led me all the way back to my room. He pulled my door open for me and waited until I was inside. "Amanda?" He said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

I smiled a little. "Anytime."

He closed the door and I leaned against it after he left. I pushed my hair back from my face and let out a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding. It was a good thing we were going to be separated for a while. Not that I hated being with him. I didn't. That was the bad thing. I liked it a little too much.

I felt like I was betraying Ilia. She was my friend, whether her memory was missing or not.

My feet tapped against the rug softly as I crossed the room and flopped on my bed.

As I closed my eyes, for the first time in a while I was tired enough to want to sleep. Or maybe I was trying to escape. I didn't know. Whatever it was, I drifted off quickly.

Hopefully in the morning, my mind would be clear and these silly thoughts would be gone.


	26. Switched

**Author's Note:** Ugh. Did I mention how much I hate the Water Temple? Hating something makes it way harder to write about.

But besides that...Oh man, oh man. This was the best E3 since the one where Twilight Princess was revealed. I was sad that the demo didn't go so well for Miyamoto on stage, but I was happy to find out Skyward Sword worked fine on the show floor. The graphics look incredible (go find some high-quality screenshots and I bet you'll agree with me), and the story sounds really interesting. Not to mention the field-dungeon-field formula is being changed up.

I've already pre-ordered a copy. :3

Reviews:

**bmp112: **Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying reading it. ^_^

**Midna Hytwilian: **I'm trying to portray these two guys and accuarate as possible and it just seems to me like they wouldn't get along. It's really fun to write for them. xD Midna is a great character, too, so I'm glad you think I'm getting her right!

**BlackRose-FlowerofDeath: **Dark Link? Maybe. :3

**ano170: **Thank you. Even though Link x Amanda won't happen, it's still fun to hint at it. I'm still strictly Zelda x Link, though.

**DamnBlackHeart: **Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm trying to keep things interesting without straying too far, so I hope you'll keep reading!

**why: **No, I'm still continuing. I said I wouldn't abandon it and I meant it. There might be times I get stuck or am busy and it takes a while, though. I even have plans for a possible sequel after Skyward Sword comes out and I'm not too busy. Maybe. I'm glad you like it!

There was a ton of people who read this even when I wasn't updating, so I want to thank you guys for being patient. I'm slow, I know. I try not to be. xD;

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Switched**

I was dressing the next morning when there was a knock on my bedroom door. I finished tying my wrap-around black shirt and answered. "Come in!"

I pulled on the white and gold tunic that Jillian had given me. It was thinner material than my Ordon dress, so it wouldn't weigh me down in the water. With a glance in the mirror, I saw it hung on my frame even better than the Kakariko clothes.

It was strange, though. I hadn't remembered bringing them with me yesterday. But I decided not to worry about it. The new clothes didn't do anything to make me look less frail. It made me look even _more_ girlish than before. Darn it. One of these days, I _will_ find a way to refute Telma's comment. I tugged on the material to straighten it a bit and spun around to see who had knocked.

The door was still shut and no one was there.

"Well, that was weird." I mumbled to myself. As I moved towards the door, I noticed a folded piece of paper on the floor. "Huh? What's this?..."

When I reached for it, I felt a sort of heat emanating from the parchment and I hesitated. Heat? It wasn't like it was on fire. There were no singed edges to suggest it'd been burned, either. As soon as my fingers touched the paper, it exploded in a burst of light, sending me onto the floor. Blue and red smoke filtered up from it, almost like it was alive. Within seconds, it began to take form.

I carefully stood and stepped back. This couldn't be good, could I it? Whatever it was, it was slithering towards me. I slowly moved further back, until I could reach for something. My hand gripped a water pitcher. It wasn't the best idea, but it would have to do.

Wrapping my fingers around the handle, I swung it around and flung the water at it.

Of course it did absolutely no good. There was no fire, just smoke.

"Miss Amanda?" I heard the Princess knock at my door. "May I come in for a moment?"

At the sound of her voice, the weird magical smoke dissipated and the room returned to normal. I laid the pitcher back in its place, bewildered, and went to open the door.

"Good morning, your Highness." I said. "Please, come in".

"Thank you." She swept in gracefully, dressed differently than normal. Her royal crown and jewelry were gone, and her pale blond hair was braided simply. She wore plain black pants and a common embroidered tunic in a shade of blue that reminded me of the blue flowers that grew in the fields near the ranch back in Ordon village.

"What can I do for you?" I asked.

"If you would permit me to, I'd like to accompany you to the temple." She said. "I have a few things I'd like to investigate myself."

I felt immediate relief. I wouldn't be alone in this, after all. But the relief quickly gave way to another thought. "I'd be happy if you went with me. But what about Link? Won't he protest?"

"Oh, I have no doubt he will. But that's the wonderful thing about being Princess," There was a sparkle of attitude in Zelda's eyes and in the air now, and I couldn't help but laugh a little as she said, "He has to go along with what I ask of him."

I laughed outright now. "Y-your Highness!"

She laughed, too. "Don't worry. I don't ever abuse my power over him. We've known each other forever it seems, so he understands me better than that. And I know it's just because he's worried about me." She took a deep breath and regained her composure. " Well, shall we head out?"

I knew he was there before he tapped on the doorframe. "Of course. But could you give us a minute?" I asked, meeting Link's eyes as I spoke.

The princess gave me a knowing look. The same kind Maya and Jillian seemed to like to shoot in my direction all the time when he was around. "Of course." She said, moving out the door as gracefully as she had come through it. "Come to the temple when you're ready."

"Okay."

"What was that all about?" Link asked, shutting the door behind her.

I took it he didn't know what she was planning, which meant the Hero of Time didn't either. Was it bad that I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she went with me back to the village? "Oh, nothing much. She was just stopping by to say good luck and all that."

"I see." He didn't look like he believed me, but he didn't say anything more about it.

In fact, he didn't say anything else at all. He just stood there, like he was wondering what to say, if anything at all. For the first time since he walked in, I noticed how stressed out he looked. He'd seemed fine when he left the night before.

Of course, I was still reeling from the kiss on the hand thing, so I hadn't been paying attention to much of anything.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Didn't you sleep?"

"Yeah, but..."

"...Did you have another dream again?"

Link sighed. "I–"

There was yet another knock on the door. The Hero of Time poked his head in. "Are you two coming?"

I frowned. "Can you just give us a second?"

"No...forget it." Link said. He brushed past him and went out the door.

He stared after him and jerked a thumb in the direction he'd gone. "...Is he always like that?"

"No...And that's got me worried."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." The hero held the door open for me expectantly. "Come on. Don't want to get left behind."

I resisted the urge to do something immature like rolling my eyes. "Considering you practically ordered me to do this, I don't think that'll happen." I picked up my things, following him out anyway.

"I'd refute that, but I suppose it's true." He sighed.

I didn't say any more as I walked ahead of him. I tried my hardest to remember the way out, but in the end, he had to guide me out. He didn't seem annoyed in the least, but rather he seemed to be in a pretty good mood as we walked along the dirt road into the castle town. He called out to the residents as he passed by their homes and they waved or answered cheerfully back.

"You sure are popular." I said.

"Nah. I've just spent most of my life here. I'm just familiar is all."

"You say that, but..." I paused and waited as he greeted a shopkeeper. "It seems like you know everyone."

"Almost." He agreed.

I know you'd probably never get the chance to see the Temple of Time for real, but you should. The place looks amazing when you take the time to admire it. The cathedral's towers rose up high and it's stained-glass windows were really beautiful and sparkled in the daylight like jewels.

Link and the princess were both waiting inside and speaking quietly about something. I thought I heard her murmur "remember what I said", but she was already turning and smiling with ocarina in hand, so I must've imagined it.

The swordsman came over to me and took my hand. "Actually, just give us a second, would you?" Zelda nodded and he pulled me to the side so we'd have a bit of privacy.

"What's the matter?" I asked. "You've looked stressed all morning. You sort of just stormed out a little while ago, too."

"I'm sorry, Amanda..."

"Don't apologize. I'm just worried about you. I've never seen you like this before."

Link sighed, though it came out more as a huff. "Yeah, well I've never had to deal with something like this before."

He seemed to be avoiding looking at me. Something was really wrong. But we didn't have time to talk about it, so I did the only thing I could think of. "Hey...remember when you asked me to trust you?"

"Yeah?"

"Now I need you to trust me just the same. I'm not going to screw anything up."

"You messing up is the least of my worries. Really." Link hugged me quickly "Just...promise me you'll be careful."

I knew I wasn't going to find out what was bugging him at that moment, so I just hugged him back and gave a reassuring smile. "I promise. Besides, we'll both be in the same place. Just...a few hundred years apart."

"I can't tell if you're trying to make me feel better or worse..."

"Miss Amanda?" The princess interjected softly. "Are you ready?"

I looked back at him and then nodded. "Yeah." I said, slipping away and towards the pedistal where she was standing.

"I'm going to put you back from where you came from yesterday."

"That might not be the best idea. It was in the middle of a kitchen."

Zelda chuckled. "It won't drop you exactly there, but nearby. I know warping feels strange, but bear with it and try to stand still. It will only be for a little while."

"Okay."

She didn't waste a moment and moved closer to me, bringing the ocarina to her lips to play the familiar tune I'd heard yesterday. I finally recognized it as the Song of Soaring from Majora's Mask. I could feel myself being lifted from the ground. The sounds and fast music surrounded me and it took everything I had not to move.

Faster and faster everything spun, until something hit me full force again. But this time it wasn't something. It was someone.

The light faded and the Hero of Time appeared, crashing into me.

"What the?"

"Whoa!"

We dropped into the spring with a loud _splash_. Cold water swirled around me as I tried to regain my bearings and surface. I kicked furiously and broke the surface with a loud gasp, swimming over to the shallow edge. I heard splashing and him swimming up next to me.

"What the heck was that for?" I said, flicking some water in his direction. "It was a little unnecessary, don't you think?"

"Unnecessary?" He flicked some water back at me. "Didn't you see that...thing behind you?"

"What are you talking about? I couldn't hear anything. And what happened to–"

There was a crackling sound and he grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the way, pressing both of us against the wall near the cave opening. A large tree from the top of the canyon wall fell down into the water creating even a giant wave. I winced as the water hit. The storm was full force, but the spring water was ten times colder than that.

"You okay?" The hero asked, giving me a little space to move now.

"Yeah. But let's get out of this water." I turned and reached for a vine that had snaked it's way around the cliff's edge. It was sturdy enough to pull me up. I reached down and offered him a hand and we both ducked into the cave. He wrung out his clothes as much as he could, but it didn't seem to do any good.

"What a storm. Where are we, anyway?"

"Kakariko Village." I frowned as I stared out at the dark skies. "It was like this last night, but it seems like it has gotten worse."

"If it's anything like back home, this isn't normal."

"You think it could be something other than just horrible weather?"

"Yeah. I have a bad feeling about it." He turned to me. "I know this is sudden, but...would you let me come with you? I know Zelda wanted to, and that you and I haven't exactly been on good terms, but–"

Well, well. He did know her as well as she claimed. "You knew what she was going to do the whole time, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

I raised an eyebrow. "And you don't have a problem with it?"

The Hero of Time shrugged. "Of course I do, but unless there's immediate danger, all I can do is advise her not to do it."

I'd think the twilight would be immediate danger, but I didn't say anything about it. I had to get going, and I really would feel better if someone was with me, even if it was someone that got on my nerves. "Fine. But let's split up and check on the villagers before we leave. I'm worried about them. You take one side, I'll take the other. Meet me in the barn when you're done. It shouldn't take too long."

I was surprised when he didn't argue and just nodded. "Sounds like a good idea."

I suppose the two Links were completely different (even if they did look almost exactly the same), but it was nice to be trusted for once and not be second-guessed. "Jillian is the owner of the inn. She'll give you anything you think you need."

"Okay. I'll pick up your things when I'm in there, as well."

"They should be in the cabinet upstairs."

"Gotcha."

We ducked back out into the storm. I ran up the right side of the village to the first house and banged on the door. I waited, but no one answered, and the door was locked, so I continued down the line. But they all were empty and locked.

Satisfied they were probably at the inn, I ran up to the bomb shop and had to use all my strength to pull open the door. I slipped inside just as the wind yanked the doorknob out of my hand and slammed the door open wide open and then shut behind me.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Again, no answer. I ran up the small winding staircase, but the top floor was empty, too. Strange that all the lights were still on, but this was Barnes we were talking about. He probably ran as fast as he could to safety. I did a check around the store, closing the windows and shutters before leaving.

The last place was the barn, but I knew all the workers would probably have gotten to safety with everyone else. Still, it didn't hurt to check.

The barn's doors were wide open. It was dark inside and all the stalls were shut tight against the rain, but I had an uneasy feeling. My boots bumped against a fallen lantern on the floor. To my surprise, it was still partially lit. Picking it up, I held it out to light my way. There was a small figure huddled in the corner, and I immediately thought of Siri. But getting closer with my lantern, I saw it was dark-haired and human.

Luda peered at me from behind a large wooden beam. Her normally composed face was twisted in pain and she looked like she was going to cry. Her ankle and foot were caught underneath and she was getting soaked as rain poured in from a hole in the roof.

"Luda! What are you doing in here?" I ran over and knelt down next to her. "Let me see your foot."

"I was looking...for dad..." She said through clenched teeth. "He didn't come back to the inn."

"Renado? What do you mean?"

"Hane and my father got all of the villagers to the inn just to be safe and wait out the storm. After Hane left to go help in the castle town, there was a loud noise outside and my father went to go investigate."

I sat back on my heels to examine the beam. "And he didn't come back."

"Yeah...I was getting worried, so when Jillian wasn't looking I came out here to check..."

I patted her shoulder. "I understand how you feel, but it's dangerous out here right now. And Jillian is probably really worried about you."

"I know..."

"Amanda? Are you in here?" I heard the hero calling from the stable doors.

"I need help back here!" I said. Link quickly ran over and I stood. "We've got to get this beam off of her foot. It's crushed pretty bad."

He examined the wood and shot a quick glance around the stable. "Is there anything that we could use to cut this into smaller pieces? It's too heavy as it is now, even for both of us."

Luda pointed to a shelf towards the front. "There should be a large axe or saw on one of the shelves."

He retrieved it and made quick work of the beam. It was impressive how strong he was without any power gauntlets or anything. "Here, come help me move the pieces." I took one end and he took another and we heaved two of the end pieces onto the main isle.

"When we get this off of you, try not to move, okay Luda?" I said.

She nodded. We were more careful with the last one, gently easing it off of her foot. Tossing the last one, he reached down and handed me something, which turned out to be my bag. Thank goodness. It had medical supplies in it. I found bandages and antiseptic for cuts.

"I'm going to poke your ankle a little, so it might hurt, but I need to know if it's broken. That way I know how to wrap it." It was swollen black and blue already, but I had seen sprained ankles like that, too. I poked it and Luda yelped in pain, grabbing her leg. I sighed. "It's broken. Give me some small twigs or even a stack of papers. Anything you can find to use for a splint."

"Impressive." He said, finding and handing me both.

"Not really. It was required to learn these things in school. And my mom was also a nurse." I used the procedures I remembered from my first aid classes and had her leg set in a temporary splint in no time. "Okay, done. Come on, we need to get you inside where you can rest."

"But what about my dad?"

Link bent down and picked her up with ease. "We'll find your dad and bring him back, but first we need to get you back to the inn."

We tried to make the trip back to the inn quick so Luda wouldn't get soaked.

"Amanda! Link!" Jillian gasped as we burst in the front door. We must've looked horrible, hair and clothes completely soaked through and plastered to our bodies. Not to mention it was muddier than I'd ever seen it.

"No time for that, Jillian. Where is Renado?" He asked.

"He went to the graveyard. That's where the noise seemed to be coming from."

"Let's go."

"Wait!" A voice called from above. I looked up to see Maya at the top of the stairs. She tossed me my halberd. "Catch!"

It landed in my waiting hand. "Thanks, Maya!"

"Be careful, you two!"

However dry we'd gotten in the few minutes inside, it didn't matter as we were instantly soaked the instant we stepped outside. Giant puddles that looked like lakes filled the wasn't any place it seemed like that wasn't full of water. Sandbags went around the spring to keep it from flooding.

The hill to the graveyard had turned into one big mudslide. The ground up there wasn't solid. I doubt anyone had worried about it because it hardly ever rained enough here for a mudslide, but right now it was blocking our way.

"How are we supposed to get up there?" I sidestepped as more mud came my way.

"I have a way if you'll trust me enough not to drop you." Link said.

"What is it?"

A moment later he had put on what I knew where the Iron Boots and scooped me up, starting the trek up the hill. The Hero of Time was amazingly strong. He was walking through the mud with no problem, even with the extra weight of me and the boots. It didn't take long at that pace to get to the top.

"See anything?" He asked, moving over to the top of a grave so he wouldn't slide backwards.

I shielded my eyes from the rain and tried to scan the area as best I could. "Ah! There he is!" I pointed to the very back of the graveyard on top of the hill.

There was a small part of the cliff back there that made for a simple cover. Renado was huddled underneath it next to a little girl that I recognized as one of the children from the village. She was clutching a few small flowers in her hands.

"Okay. Hang on." He jumped back down into the mud and trudged towards the hill. It was high enough and not quite as muddy. "We won't be able to get them out of here until the rain stops, so we'll just make sure they're safe for now."

He set me on the higher piece of ground and I called to Renado.

The shaman lifted his head. "What are you two doing up here? It's much too dangerous."

"We're all right. We just wanted to check on you. Luda was worried." I deliberately left out the part where she'd gone out and broken her arm. I'd let her explain that herself when the storm was over. I smiled reassuringly at the little girl. "Are either of you hurt?"

She let go of her flowers long enough to point at Renado's hand. "He got scratched when he was helping me."

"Don't worry, child. I'm fine. Any bandage would get soaked and ruined out here in the storm. I promise you I'll get it looked at when the rain stops." He said.

I reached back into my bag and handed him a small bottle of antiseptic and some bandages nonetheless. "At least clean it up so it doesn't get infected, okay?"

"That I will. Thank you."

Satisfied that they'd be okay until the storm blew over, I returned to him.

"Are they okay?" Link asked.

"Yeah. They'll be fine where they are."

"We should get going, then. They're probably already far ahead of us." He used the hill to just slide on the mud and we got down faster than we got up. He set me on my feet and we headed for the barn.

When I pulled open the doors again, there were a few villagers in the stalls, running back and forth between Zale and Epona's stalls.

"What are you all doing out here? You should be back in the inn." I tried not to sound bossy, but didn't they know how dangerous it was out here?

One of the young men came out with Zale. "We were getting the horses ready for you. We know you have somewhere important to go and can't waste any more time."

"We'll go back now." Another said, leading Epona out. "We just wanted to do something for you since you two are always helping our village. We also wanted to let you know Hane asked you to stop by Telma's Bar on the way."

"...Thank you." I said. They waved and ducked back out into the rain. It never ceases to amaze me how well the people here get along and are willing to help. I turned back to Zale. "We should get go–Link?"

He was standing there patting Epona's nose softly. He seemed almost in awe. "What's her name?..."

I suppose she did look exactly like his horse. "Epona. After the horse the Hero of Time himself rode. Of course, Ilia is the one that named her, from what I heard."

He was quiet for a while, just stroking her soft brown nose, almost as if offering a quiet apology that he wasn't her owner. Then he slipped a foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up. "You lead the way since I don't know my way around."

It was weird considering this was exactly the same place, but I supposed the terrain had changed over the years. I nodded. "We'll have to take the southern exit and go around because the bridge to town in the east was destroyed."

The muddy ground flew everywhere under the horse's hooves and the rain came down harder than ever. It made it hard to see anything, but I knew where I was going. It was times like this I was glad I had the routes memorized at least. Even if the distance between places was incredible.

A shriek came out of the dark afternoon storm. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I pulled Zale to a halt.

The hero stopped a few feet ahead of me. "What was that noise?"

I'd heard that kind of shriek before. It couldn't be what Renado heard, could it? Just thinking about it made me nervous. "It's not good. We should hurry to town."

He didn't ask questions. We increased the horse's pace and it wasn't long before we were clattering across the bridge into town. Lucky for us, Hane had left word at the stables in town and Zale and Epona would be dry for the time being.

The town was quieter than usual because of the storm and it left me unsettled. Oh I knew it was just because it was raining, but it was usually such a busy place that it was strange to see it quiet.

I led the way through the back streets to the bar. I wondered if Telma had come back yet. I wasn't really too ready to face Livius again. Not that I disliked him, but I'd surely get teased. Maybe he'd behave himself if Telma was around.

A smooth as silk female voice greeted us as Link pushed the door open. "Good afternoon. Welcome to Telma's Bar." We walked in just in time to see a gorgeous red-headed woman swing around with a tray full of drinks in her hand. "I'll be with you in just a moment."

I recognized Livius' voice and turned to see him come around the bar. "Telma is back, little sister. "I'm going to go help her unload whatever she has." Whoa, talk about good timing.

"Okay. Just make it quick, Livius. We're busy today." She replied, setting a few drinks down at another table.

Ah, this must be his twin sister, Siena, that Hane had mentioned. She had curly hair like exactly her brother that flowed down her back and emphasized her feminine and soft features. Her dark amber eyes were lifted at the corners, giving her an exotic look. I was starting to feel plain again in comparison. Was everyone in his family perfect-looking?

"Amanda! Back here!" I saw Hane waving at us from a table towards the back of the bar. He looked different today, dressed in his full uniform. A long sword hung from the back of the chair he pushed back as he stood to greet us.

The knight waited until we sat down to sit back down himself. I opened my mouth to ask him what he wanted us here for but before I could, he did.

"You're not Link." Hane said, calmly and quietly. "You've got a different air about you."

Um, was this bad? We didn't exactly discuss not telling who he was, but I decided to explain anyway. "Hane–" I started.

"It's all right, Amanda." Link said. He seemed impressed. "You are a knight?"

"I am. And my father and grandfather before me. They taught me well to notice the little details." Hane leaned back, draping his arm over the back of his chair. "So I'll ask you again. Who are you?"

He wordlessly took something out of his pocket and set it in front of Hane. The knight slipped the velvet cover off slightly and glanced at it. I didn't have to look to know what it was, though I did catch a glimpse of blue and the royal crest. He probably carried it around most of the time.

"I see. And just how did you end up here?" Hane glanced in my direction when he asked the question.

I sighed. "It's a...long story."

"One that can be saved for another time, I suppose. I know this was short, but I'm afraid I must get back to my duties. I only stopped by to give you this." He reached into his pocket and handed me a dark-colored box.

"What is it?"

"Siri left it for you. She and Ralis had to go back home for the time being. But she wants you to visit her when you have the chance."

"How do you...?" I paused when I saw Hane smiling. "She spoke? Really? That's great!"

"She only speaks a few sentences at a time, but that's a major improvement over a few days ago."

"I'll say! I'll definitely go and see her soon."

"Good. I'm sure she'd like that." He stood up, sword in hand. "It was an honor to meet you. I hope we'll meet again."

"Same here."

"Amanda." I felt his free hand clamp down on my shoulder. "Whatever you're about to run off and do...come back safe. Besides, you wouldn't want to miss the birthday party Jillian is planning for you."

I looked up and smiled as I patted his hand. "I promise."

"You two seem pretty close." He said as we watched him speak with Telma for a few moments and slip out the door.

"Yeah. He's really looked out for me since I got here." I stood and stretched. "We probably should get going, too."

"Good idea."

"Going so soon, _pourquita_?" Livius asked.

"Yeah. We have things to do." I said, trying my hardest not to get flustered. It wasn't easy around this guy.

"That's too bad. I'm all done here in an hour. You asked where some shops were, I thought I'd help you out."

The idea was tempting (and I mean really tempting), but I knew better. Before I could politely decline, the hero stepped between us. "We thank you, but there are other things that need to be done." He replied charmingly, with what I was pretty sure was ice dripping from his words.

Livius just flashed his own smile, seemingly unaffected. "Maybe next time, then." Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like the two were having a competition for who could be the most polite without revealing how wary they were of the other.

I was about to say something when there was a loud crash. The ground rumbled, making glasses tip over, and a few men who were drunk fall out of their chairs. I held onto the table to keep from falling backwards. Siena came out from the back, hair all tousled.

"What the?...What was that?"

"It sounds like it came from the direction of the lake!" One of the customers towards the back called out.

"And that's our cue to leave." Link said, picking up his things.

"Right behind you." I grabbed my halberd and the box Hane hand given me, and ran out the door behind him.

The marketplace was in chaos as we ran up the stairs from the alley and onto the main roads. People were standing around, chattering and glancing up at a plume of smoke that was rising in the distance. Several knights rushed past us and towards the western exit. We followed them down the road and managed to slip out the giant doors before they shut tight behind us.

Zale jittered in place nervously as the ground shook again. I gently grabbed his reins to calm him. "Shh...It's okay. Nothing to be afraid of." I whispered, stroking his soft nose.

"How good are you with that halberd?"

"Good enough. I suppose. Why?"

"I have a feeling you'll need to use it."

I did, too. If I was right about that noise, then we were in big trouble.

* * *

I know it took a long time to get this up, but...review please? =D;


	27. The Lakebed Temple

**Author's Note:** Twelve pages, wow. For a temple I've always hated, I sure wrote a lot about it.

Anyway.

Not much to say here except the action continues. My real birthday already passed (the 16th of August), but Amanda's birthday in the story should be soon. I have some fun planned for that. :D

**Reviews:**

**Midna Hytwilian:** Minish Cap was so cute. I loved it just because of that. OoT and MM were amazing when they came out (not that they still aren't). I remember being in awe of the 3D graphics. LttP is one of the best, if not THE best of the 2D Zelda games. FSA is great, but the manga is even better. Akira Himekawa is the author of all the recent Zelda manga, including that one. I recommend picking it up. PH and ST are great fun, too, so enjoy yourself. Don't rush through the games! Thanks for always reading. :D

**DamnBlackHeart:** Thank you! I try to update as fast as I can, so thanks for sticking with it. XD

**BlackRose-FlowerofDeath:** Yep. And things will get even more interesting from there...hehehe...

**Bmp112:** Thank you! :)

**unknown reviewer:** Thank you. Yeah, the Goron Mines were kind of a pain. Try to have patience and work through them! You'll get there. :3

**Kokiri-Warrior:** There's reasons why Link doesn't like him, which you'll find out later. Plenty of action in this chapter, so look forward to it! :D

With that, here's chapter twenty-seven!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Lakebed Temple**

By the time we had gotten on our way, we could see thick, dark smoke and dust rising from the direction that we were supposed to be heading.

"So those men in the bar were right." Link said.

"That's the direction those knights were headed. Hane must be with them." At the pace they'd been going, you knew it was a real emergency, too.

"And you're worried about him?"

"I know he's fine and can handle himself, but I just..." I just couldn't shake the image of the ground exploding. I didn't understand why, but something just felt really off. Was this all because of the magic power the princess had lent me? I'd had this kind of feeling before. If so, I didn't like it. Not one bit.

He seemed to understand without me having to finish my sentence. "Let's hurry, then."

We urged the horses to pick up the speed a bit as we followed the road from the castle town towards the open field in Lanayru Province. At the top of the valley's hill, we could see the knights, spread throughout the area, most posted around large holes in the ground that were at least seven feet in diameter.

"Wow..." The Hero of Time whistled. "What could've done this?"

I had a very good idea of what. But until I saw it myself, I wasn't going to believe it.

"You're Hane's friends, aren't you?"

A young woman, a little older than me and dressed in rather heavy armor rode up on a coal-black horse. Her dark hair was french-braided and pulled back with metal clips, giving her a tough-looking demeanor. She certainly seemed as if she could take on any of the knights single-handedly and win no problem.

Ah, I knew who this was.

"Yes. And you must be Ashei." I said, offering her a friendly smile. "Rusl has told me about you."

"Has he now?" Her expression didn't change, so I couldn't tell what she was thinking. "I hope it wasn't all bad."

"Not at all. He thinks highly of you." I replied. She just nodded in response. O...kay. I guess she's not much of a talker. But still, now would be as good as any time to ask Ashei whatever I needed to. "Do you know where we could find Hane?"

"Ah." Ashei pointed down a little ways to the first set of holes. "He should be down there with that small group of knights. I'll ride with you, since they won't let you through otherwise."

Just then, Hane turned and saw us. With a wave of his hand, he signaled us to come over.

"We thank you, Ashei, but we'll be fine from here." The hero said.

"Understood. Be careful."

"We will."

I urged Zale to move in a smooth pace down the hill. The ground was completely muddy from the rain storm and he was already slipping a little. Hane met us at the bottom of the hill, mounted atop his own horse.

"How is this possible Hane?" I asked, knowing he knew exactly what I meant.

The knight sighed. "I don't know. You and I both saw what happened the last time."

"I assume you two know what did this?" Link said.

Hane and I exchanged looks and I just shrugged. "It's a guess, that's all."

"We'll take care of whatever it is, don't worry. The town isn't in any danger right now." Hane turned his horse in the other direction. "But I'll have to escort you two through here. The area is closed off to everyone until the situation is under control."

Link patted Epona gently when she danced in place a little. "We would've gone the other way, the other path to the lake is blocked by a rockslide."

"It must've happened when this all started a little while ago. I'll try to get some of the knights over there later, but this is more of a priority right now. We're stretched pretty thin as it is with everything that's been going on."

Poor Hane. He looked so tired. He'd probably been up all night with the storm and now this. "I'm sure when you get a few days to rest, Maya will take care of you."

"I'm sure I won't have a choice but to sit down when I get a break. How is she?" He asked with a chuckle..

I grinned. "She's perfectly fine, don't worry. Last I saw her, she was safe in the inn with everyone else."

Hane breathed a sigh of relief. "I was kind of worried she would have tried to go out and do something stupid."

"Well, not exactly. Luda was the one that did that."

"Really? Luda? She's normally smart about things like this."

The hero pulled Epona up closer on the other side of me. "She was worried about her father. The shaman had gone out to get someone who got stuck in the graveyard."

The knight frowned. "I knew I should've checked a second time before I left, but the castle town..."

"It's not your fault, Hane." I said. "Things have been crazy, and you're doing all you can." Actually, crazy didn't even to begin to describe the things that had happened lately, and it only seemed to be getting stranger by the day.

"I suppose you're right." He agreed, looking a little better at that. "Is everyone okay?"

I shook my head. "Luda broke her arm, and Renado has a pretty bad cut on his hand."

"Okay. I'll make sure to bring the doctor back with me to the village."

The ground shook again and Zale stepped back, bobbing his head nervously. I leaned down to pat his neck. "It's okay, boy."

Hane brought his horse closer to mine. "We should speed this up. If this is what I think it is, it's too dangerous for you to be here, Amanda."

The horses were jittery as we made our way towards the bridge. Animals could sense things much better than we could, so it was worrying me that Zale seemed ready to bolt at any second. Once again, flashes of things bursting from the ground flashed in my mind.

I decided to focus on something else. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you...What was going on back there in the bar with Livius?"

Link seemed to know what I meant because he spoke with carefully chosen words. "He's a Gerudo."

Or not so carefully chosen words. Whichever.

I knew what he meant, but I was honestly curious as to why he seemed so hostile towards him. Yes, a male Gerudo wasn't normal in a race of all females. But while Livius seemed like a flirt, he didn't seem like anything more than that. No...nothing like that madman that was constantly one step ahead of everything.

"What does that have to do with anything? Telma and Siena are, too." Hane asked, frowning slightly.

He must've decided not to say anything else because he just replied with, "Nothing."

I guess I wasn't going to get anything more out of him about that. I decided to just focus on the road. We were heading over the stone bridge now towards the other end of the valley. The rain was slowing, but it hadn't gotten any less dark. There weren't any sounds save for the horses hooves on the stone and the remainder of the storm.

Hane, who usually didn't get mad, seemed offended over the hero's comment about one of his close friends. I think he knew that and so he hadn't said any more.

The silence was getting uncomfortable and we still had a mile to go. Time to say something and make it all better. "Hane...I don't think–"

"It's all right, Amanda. I know what you want to say, but just let it go. I know." The knight pulled ahead. "We're almost there, anyway."

He hadn't ridden even twenty feet off the bridge onto the soft dirt path before the ground exploded beneath them.

"Hane!" I cried. Dirt, grass, and rocks obscured any view we might've had. I couldn't see where he'd gone at all.

The shaking intensified and the hero reached for Zale's reins and used them to pull me back before I rode off. "No! Stay back!"

The horses jittered backwards and Epona reared a little as the shaking stopped. A long black shape hit the ground, almost creating another earthquake. When it turned to face us, I knew I'd been right. On the way to the castle town, I'd noticed the cave were we'd first encountered the giant snake had been broken open. I shrugged it off as nothing at the time, but now I knew it was certainly possible. There were two snakes. The one we'd defeated before was different and this one had now broken out of it's prison.

"What the...?" He seemed cautious, but ready to charge if need be.

The debris was starting to clear up enough to see in front. The I was about to nudge Zale into the mess after Hane, when a voice came out of nowhere.

"_Amanda..."_

I knew that voice. "Your highness?"

"_I can't do much from here, but let me help you."_

"How?" I asked.

"_Just do what you did the last time." _The princess said._ "I'll give you a temporary magical boost, so you won't be worn out quite so quickly."_

"Okay." I swerved Zale around to face him. "Can you distract that thing? I have an idea."

"Are you crazy? That thing will kill you before you get near it! It's too dangerous!" The Hero of Time had already drawn his sword. "You need to get out of here and let me handle this!"

I pulled ahead a little. "Just trust me and focus on that thing!" I didn't wait for his answer as I turned sharply to the right and away from the monster, cantering Zale towards a tall tree.

I smiled a little to myself when I heard could hear him mumble, "Well, I guess that answers_ that_ question."

When I was far away enough from the snake, I slowed my horse down so I could reach a low branch and climb onto it. Okay. Just like the last time. But let's try not to fall out of the tree this time around, hmm? I climbed up enough into the tree that I was blocked from view, but still had a clear shot.

The hero was holding pretty well on his own, but the large monster seemed ten times angrier than it had before and it was putting up a strong fight.

I took the Ice Rod out and focused on my target, sending out several shots of ice to different places at once. Three of them hit, but the fourth one missed and created a block of ice on the grass. He used it as a launching pad and jumped onto the monster, slicing it on the back.

The ice began to break and he flipped off, landing on his feet with no problem. The snake gave another shriek and dove back underground.

I waited for it to come back, but the valley was silent now. Nothing but the sound of the rain.

Was it safe?

A few more minutes passed by and I climbed down from the tree and back onto Zale. The knights had now come over to the area where we were and I finally spotted Hane. He seemed to be conscious and alive, but I trotted over there as fast as I could anyway. The hero sheathed his sword and joined me.

"Hane!" I cried, leaping onto the ground before my horse stopped.

He looked relieved when he saw me in one piece. "I'm fine, Amanda. Just some bruises."

Hane let a few other knights help him up and I saw his left wrist and right knee were swollen to twice the normal size. Thank goodness that's all but was. But still... "Just some bruises, huh?" I crossed my arms and frowned, not sure whether to yell at him for not paying attention or burst into tears at the fact that he was safe.

"Nothing that won't be fine in a few days." The knight replied. "You need to get out of here. Now."

At his words, the ground began to shake again.

Link picked me up and put me on his own horse and climbed up after. "Zale will follow us. There's no time. We need to get to the temple." I was less nervous hanging on this time as I wrapped my arms around his middle and he urged Epona into a fast canter.

I tried to look back to see Hane, but the rain had picked up again and I could only see silhouettes.

"He'll be fine." His voice was gentle and compassionate as his hand touched mine comfortingly.

I realized there were tears running down my cheeks now. "Yeah." I wiped them away and tried to focus on our destination.

Making sure the story went the way it was supposed to do. That's my only job here. That's what was most important and what I needed to focus on.

...Right?

* * *

"Wow. This is incredible."

"What is it?" I gave the Hero of Time my hand and let him pull me out of the water onto the cave floor. As I stood up, I couldn't help but let out a gasp as my gaze swept around the room.

We had almost missed the opening of the temple when we swam down to the bottom of the lake. It had blended into the surrounding rock because the opening had been worn away pretty badly. Add to that the fact that rocks had been blocking the opening, and you get an invisible entrance. Even after you surfaced inside the temple, it was a generic cave.

That is, until you saw the opposite wall.

Scrolling gold and blue designs crept out from the central door along the wall and up magnificent pillars that stretched up to the top of the cavern. A pure gold handle with a beautiful red gem in the center hung in between and out a ways from the pillars. I knew it opened the intricate bars that kept us from the door.

It looked like the entrance to an undersea palace. Except, you know, we were under a lake.

"Allow me." He said.

"Heh?"

He sprinted up the scrolling stairs and launched himself off the middle platform to grab the gold handle. I heard a rumble and the sound of iron scraping against stone before I saw the gate slide open.

"Come on. Let me be the one to worry for now. You just stay close" Link sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I just hope they made it to the temple all right."

"I'm sure they're fine." I said, as he opened the door. "Let's go."

The corridor on the other side was empty, save for the sounds of the rushing water below. Something dark was swimming in it, but I passed it off as those creepy fish with teeth. I _really_ hope I don't have to get in that main pool of water in the central room much. They freak me out.

The central room was quieter and also oddly serene. A gorgeous crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the room, reflecting specks of light back onto the walls. It would've seemed out of place, but the whole temple was already like a palace.

"It's so pretty in here. I've never seen anything like that chandelier before." It seemed a shame that it was in a temple where it could get broken.

Link stepped up to the staircase and peered down at the other levels. "...It seems like he's been in the temple a while. The water levels are adjusted."

I glanced over the edge. "How can you tell?"

"See the water marks on the walls?"

Wow, he had a good eye. I hadn't noticed those when I came in. I nodded. "The water is flowing out of those rooms, too. It doesn't seem like it's been like that for long."

"We need to catch up. Come on."

I was worried about having to remember the temple layout, but luckily, we found a map and began to make our way deeper inside. It didn't take long, because the place was completely empty except for the tools we needed to get further in. The water levels were exactly as they were supposed to be, so we didn't even have to mess with that.

The keys weren't even hard to find. They were in plain sight, with no guards.

We'd barely stepped into another wide open corridor before the Hero of Time stopped. "Something bothers me."

"I know." I said. "It's been bothering me, too. This seems way too easy." There were no monsters, no traps, no _nothing_.

He nodded. "Yeah. We had a much harder time _getting _here then we are getting through here."

"I wonder if..." Something caught my attention and I stopped.

There were more black shadows in the water, swimming around and around. The corridor shook and something rose up out of the water, flying over the connecting bridge. It's tail slammed into it, causing the bridge to crack and fall beneath our feet.

The hero grabbed my hand and kept me from falling. "Run! Hurry!"

We pulled open the door and entered the spinning cog room we'd been through already. The monster was behind the door, but it wouldn't stay that way for long.

"It doesn't matter where we go for now, let's just find a spot to hide for the moment." He jumped after me onto the cog just as the ground exploded beneath him. He let out a cry of pain as the snake caught his arm.

Reaching behind me into my pouch, I pulled out the Ice Rod. "Get out of here!" I managed to create jagged and rough icicles and flung them at it. The snake pulled back long enough for us to jump off onto a platform with a door.

I had to help him pull it open and we ran through, but the hallway was a dead end.

"Damn it." The hero clutched his arm and grimaced in frustration and pain.

I could hear the monster slamming against the door. A split second later, it burst through. He grabbed me and slammed both of us against the wall to the side. It cracked and we fell into some sort of cavern a little below the floor. He held onto me tight as we hit the bottom, making sure I didn't hit my head.

He got up and pulled me over behind the wall as the monster slid by, ramming the walls above us. We waited until it was quiet before even moving.

"You all right?" Link asked, releasing me.

"Yeah...But your arm..." I touched it and he flinched.

"I'll be fine. We should keep moving."

He tried to stand and keep going like the hero he was, but I put a hand on his shoulder and forced him back down."Oh no, you don't. You need to sit still while I take care of this."

I think he saw how determined I was to make him comply because he just did as he was told. "Fine, fine." The hero held his hands up in defeat. "I'm sitting."

I quickly took out supplies and went to work. The cuts weren't deep, but they went along most of his upper arm. "I'm warning you now...this is really going to hurt."

"I've done a lot worse things to myself, so I don't really think this is much of a–" Link yelped when I held the medicine up to it.

I tried not to giggle. "I tried to warn you."

He attempted a scowl as I finished cleaning it and started to wrap a bandage around his arm. But it didn't work on me, of course. "He was right."

I lifted my gaze to him for a moment. "About what?"

The Hero of Time grinned now. "You _are_ bossy."

I resisted the urge to swat him on the arm. So they did have something in common, after all. "There. Finished." I said, making sure the knot on the end was tight.

"Thanks."

I sat back on my heels and put the medical supplies away while he took out a lantern and examined the room. It was fairly small, with no openings except the one we'd come through. With very little light, it was hard to see much else, but I could see something square outlined on the wall.

He stretched and sat down next to me. "It doesn't look like anything could get in here from anywhere but that opening, and it didn't see us fall, so let's rest for a bit. You look worn out."

"No, I'm fine." I sat back against the cave wall. "You look pretty worn out yourself."

There was a slight pause before he said, "...Maybe, but I'm not the one who was wandering around the castle late at night."

I nearly choked. "What? Were you watching us?"

Link shrugged and rested his hands behind his head, looking very relaxed as he continued. "I only saw him leave his room and head in the direction of yours."

I knew we hadn't done anything wrong, but it still was kind of embarrassing. "It's not what you think." I said. "We're friends, that's all."

"Hmm..." Was all he said as he closed his eyes.

"I mean for one thing, I don't even live here. It just wouldn't work. Then there's his friend Ilia and...no, no, no." I was rambling as I bumped against the wall. "Just can't and wouldn't happen."

"'_No', what? You don't miss me after all? Aww..."_

I jumped about a foot in the air. The voice had come out of the square tablet I'd leaned on just a second ago. I turned and touched it. It was warm.

"Is that you?" My voice came out squeakier than I'd meant it.

My Link laughed._ "Yeah. Kind of a weird way to talk like this, isn't it?"_

"I'll say." What was this? An ancient magical telephone? I knew I'd seen something like this somewhere before. And I could hear him even though I knew he was in his wolf form. Interesting. These things are kinda cool. "Is the princess with you? I knew she wanted to go."

He gave a huge sigh, but I could tell he wasn't annoyed in the least. _"More like she insisted. She's asleep right now, though. Midna is asleep for once, too."_

"That's unusual." I peered over my shoulder and saw the Hero of Time slumped against the wall, arms folded and eyes shut. He had fallen asleep himself. "He is, too." He looked pretty comfortable, at that. I guess from his travels, he'd learned to sleep anywhere.

"_You should be the one sleeping." _

"Nah. I'm fine. I'm too wound up to sleep, anyway."

"_Everything okay?"_ Link asked.

I sighed. "No, not really."

"_What is it?" _

"That snake...The one before is dead, but...I somehow saw another one, too." It could've been anywhere at this point and it was making me nervous. What if it burst out of the ground in this cavern? We'd be crushed to death before we got a chance to even move out of there.

"_...So I wasn't seeing things."_

"Huh?" I blinked. "You saw it too?"

"_Kind of. It was just a shadow and I couldn't make it out very clearly. Since the temples are connected, that's probably why I can see it."_

This was getting more and more complicated by the minute. The fact that it even broke out in the first place meant the princess' power was getting weaker. Which wasn't good for us.

"_Amanda?"_

"Yeah, I'm still here." Now wouldn't be a bad time to ask him. "Hey, before you go...can I ask you a question?"

"_Sure. What is it?" _

"Have you seen any–"

He seemed to already be way ahead of me._ "Monsters? No. I'll keep an eye out, but I think our snake scared them all away. Make sure you keep an eye out, too. Especially around the deep water. It can swim."_

There was water everywhere. It was the Lakebed Temple, after all. No avoiding that. "Wait...you saw it swimming, too?"

"_Yeah or at least it's shadow. Be careful, Amanda. And try to get some sleep."_

"I will."

The warmth faded and I couldn't hear anything more. I knew Link was right and I needed to get some rest, but I was just too worried to sleep. Snakes swimming in the water weren't exactly comforting. I could hear something slithering around out there as I sat back down next to him and pulled my blanket around my shoulders.

As I closed my eyes, the hero's arm wrapped around my shoulders and he pulled me downwards to a few small pillows he had placed on his lap.

I looked up. "Wha...?"

"Sleep. I'll make sure you're safe."

"But–"

"I already slept a bit and I'm used to sleeping short hours, anyway. It's okay. Your turn to rest."

I wanted to argue, but a yawn escaped me and I realized how tired I actually was. I just nodded and rolled over. I felt him put the blanket back over my shoulders where it had fallen and I let my eyes slip shut.

* * *

I was in a castle bedroom, I could tell that much. But I knew right away that it wasn't the one I'd stayed in. The room was dim, save for some candlelight, and the beautiful arching windows were tinted with the color of the twilight.

It was the princess' room. I knew it by the royal purple canopy on her bed and the royal tapestries on the wall.

But why had she called me here now? The room was empty as far as I could tell.

A gruff voice rang out in the hall outside. "Hurry up, now. Walk faster."

Crap! Someone was coming! I quickly looked around the room and dove behind the fireplace wall. The door squeaked as it opened.

"You know the drill. Don't try anything funny, your _Highness_." The male voice said it mockingly. "We're watching you." Whoever had come up the staircase, slammed the door and I heard the click of a lock a second later.

It was quiet now as the princess said, "You can come out now, Amanda."

I stepped out from the shadows of the fireplace. "Are you all right?" I frowned at the closed door. "Who was that? He didn't sound like a monster." Quite the opposite. He sounded human and a little familiar.

"Another one of Zant's followers, I suppose. There's more and more these days as some people get desperate to be free from this twilight." She removed her hood, shaking her blond hair loose as she settled in a high-backed chair. "Please, sit."

I sat down in the chair across from her. "What can I do for you, your Hig–?"

Zelda held her hand up halfway through 'highness'. "Please, Amanda. I know it might be uncomfortable, but I want to ask you again to just call me Zelda. I don't want there to be any barriers between us, especially since I've already asked so much of you."

She seemed like she wanted to say more, so I kept my answer short and just nodded. "All right."

"I will be quick, because the guards' rounds bring him more often to my room. He should be here in a few minutes."

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing for the first time that she seemed very troubled.

"I don't know." She leaned back in her chair and seemed to be trying to gather her thoughts. "All I know is there's someone very dangerous involved in this besides Zant. He's stronger than him, but for some reason he's only following him."

Could she mean Ganondorf? But following Zant? That didn't make any sense. "And you want me to keep an eye out."

"Yes. See what you can find out." Zelda looked apologetic as she continued, "I wish I could tell you more, but I hardly know anything myself."

"No, that's fine. I'll make sure to listen for anything." I stood up as she did. "Can I ask you something though?"

"Of course."

"Why are you telling me all this? Wouldn't it make more sense to tell Link and not me?"

Zelda smiled at me now. "I trust you to keep it safe." was all she said.

The doorknob to her bedroom turned and my hear skipped a beat in fear. The princess quickly chanted something. There was a white flash and then I couldn't see anything.

* * *

I jolted awake when Link's hand shook my shoulder. "Wha...? What is it?"

"It's gone."

Gone? What was gone? "What do you mean, 'it's gone'?" I sat up, letting the blanket fall to the ground.

He pointed. "The tablet."

I peered over to where the tablet was supposed to be. Oh, it was still there. But it was in pieces, shattered and cracked. "When did this happen?"

"Just a minute ago. It looks like something happened on their side." He looked worried. Probably for the princess.

I didn't need him to say any more than that. I was already awake and up, pulling everything together within a few seconds. "Let's go." I said, strapping my halberd's case on and slipping my weapon into it.

We stepped outside the small opening and the immediately the ground started to shake.

"Not again!" I cried

"It was just waiting for us! Run!"

We turned to run and it flew out of nowhere, blocking our path. Not only had it been waiting for us, it was fast and knew where we were going. I knew where we were and I knew there was a larger, more open room we could use to deal with this thing. If I was right, that room would be empty.

"I have an idea!" I said, grabbing his hand. "Come on!"

"Wait!" The hero let go of me and stopped. "Get behind something! I'm going to block this door!"

I ducked behind a small nearby wall as he turned around to face the door. I heard the sizzling and crackling of fire before I felt the ground shake with an explosion. The entire hallway was still shaking with tremors as he ran over and pulled me to me feet.

"This hallway will collapse on us if we don't hurry." He said.

"I'm honestly more afraid of being snake food." I replied, hearing the sounds of slithering under my feet.

He yanked the door open with ease, but it only opened partway. "Damn it." He said. "It's stuck."

"Can you get it open?"

"Yeah, but not fast enough."

I took out the Ice Rod. "I can buy you some time, but not much." I didn't even wait for his answer before I started covering the collapsing walls and ceiling with a solid sheet of ice. By the time I'd finished, I was worn out and the ice was already starting to crack.

"Got it!" Link grabbed my arm and pulled me through the doorway just as the room finally collapsed behind us, ice and all.

We were back in the open room with the cogs and it didn't look like anything was amiss. I stopped to catch my breath. "Phew, that was–"

"No time for that. That thing is on our heels." He scooped me up and ran straight for the edge of the small cliff.

I hung on as he started to walk right off the edge. "What are you–" I stopped mid-sentence when I saw him walking on the air. Yes, you heard right. He was walking on _nothing_. It felt like there was solid ground beneath us as he stepped onto the first solid cog and off towards the second.

"Hover boots." He said. "I got them a long time ago from. They're a pretty handy thing to have when you're short on time and out of room to run. They've saved me more than once." He set me down when he was safely on the opposite cliff.

"The open room should be just after this next hallway." We stepped through the door, but not before we saw the snake burst through the ground behind us.

"Jump!" The hero pulled me into the water with him. A second later, a blue flash surrounded us and we were speeding easily through the water and out into the large open room I knew had been there.

I wrung out my clothes as best I could, though I knew I'd be back in the water soon enough. I let my gaze sweep the room. "It's just like I thought. There's nothing here." Nothing but a shallow pool of water. Just in case, I looked up to the ceiling for the giant frog (the mini-boss of this place), but there was only air and empty space.

"Is there supposed to be?" He asked, stopping now to catch his breath.

Before I could answer, the door we'd swam through slammed shut and locked. The walls began to shake and stalactites hanging from the ceiling came crashing down.

"Look out!" The Hero of Time pushed me out of the way just as one nearly came down on my head.

"No!"

I watched in absolute horror as a stalactite twice his size hit him instead of me, pinning him underneath and crushing him.

* * *

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	28. Nightmares

**Author's Note:** Sorry, guys. My computer crashed with this chapter on it. I had to rewrite it from scratch. Luckily, it came out better than the one I had. Also been super-busy. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Years. :)

Just gotta say...Can't wait for OoT 3D. D:

Reviews:

ano170: Thanks! I got my inspiration for the tablet from the older Zelda games. They always had something like that. And I agree. Water Temples suck. D:

bmp112: Thanks. Sorry it took so long. ):

DamnBlackHeart: I like writing action scenes, but it's hard. I hope any ones I've written here sound good. Let me know what you think.

Kokiri-Warrior: Sorry 'bout the wait. xD

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Nightmares**

"No!"

Time seemed to stop for a moment as he disappeared and the stalactite came into my field of vision. Others fell around me, but I couldn't seem to move. I was paralyzed, my mind barely registering the fact that the snake was coming towards me.

...He was dead.

If the impact alone hadn't killed him, being crushed under there for longer than a minute would.

My hands began to move on their own. They reached for my halberd, which was still encased on my back. It was light in my hands, familiar and strange at the same time. It seemed to be pulsing with some kind of weird energy.

Without a thought, feet began to move me forward slowly. Then faster. Faster, until I was running. Then I was in the air, halberd raised. There was the sickening sound of tearing flesh my weapon tore through the snake. Not deep enough to kill it, but enough to make it thrash angrily.

Pain shot through my gut as it's tail sent me flying. The only thing that stopped me was the glass-like walls that encased the room. It shattered as I hit it, cutting through my skin just like my halibard had done to the monster. I should've been in terrible pain, but I felt nothing. Even the pain in my stomach was gone now.

I stood up, more shards falling to the floor and shattering into even smaller pieces. They crunched under my boots as I walked back towards the snake, halberd in hand.

If the last attack didn't kill it, then I would make sure this one did.

I got another running start and leapt into the air, launching myself off of a stalactite. I was directly over the snake's head now. A split second before I could hit it, the monster raised it's head to snap at me. I quickly changed my position mid-air and leapt off of it's open mouth.

It was a clumsy move, and I fell to the ground landing on what seemed like the only bare part of the floor. My halberd slid several feet away from where I stopped.

I wasn't in pain, but my limbs were heavy as I tried to get up. My vision was a little blurry, too.

I stumbled in the water as I tried to get up. My boots squeaked as I backed slowly towards the weapon I'd dropped. With one eye on the snake, I slowly bent down to pick it up.

A brilliant green light stopped me. A blur of green and white flew forward, landing a strike and doing more damage than I'd done. It landed on top of one of the large rocks, and flipped onto the head of the snake.

I didn't even cringe as a sword was plunged into it's head. I just stood there, halberd in hand, as the snake exploded into black mist with one of those terrifying shrieks.

The figure who leapt out of the light turned towards me, sword still in hand. "He shouldn't be bothering you anymore."

The voice was male, that I could tell. I blinked, trying to get my vision to focus.

The distorted figure reached towards me. "Are you all right? You look a little unwell." My legs nearly gave out. The man caught me just in time and I finally saw his face.

Ganondorf was just inches from me, and his features twisted into a sick grin. I wanted to scream, but nothing would come out. I reached for the knife in my bag, and quickly whipped it out, plunging it into his chest. He dropped me on my back, causing my head to spin wildly.

When I finally was able to sit up, he wasn't there anymore.

The Hero of Time stood there in his place, my knife in the exact same spot, bleeding out over the hand that was over the knife.

...What had I done?

"N-no..." I finally managed to choke out.

I tried to stand, but the floor began to crack. When I tried to move, it collapsed underneath me and I fell into the water, which was now blacker than the fog that had enveloped the snake.

I couldn't see anything. I struggled to swim, but something held me in place. I couldn't even breathe.

The darkness swamped me until I felt nothing anymore.

I stopped moving, stopped struggling. I didn't have any strength left, anyway. I couldn't even tell if my eyes were open anymore. It was so dark...

...Was this how it was going to end?

A vision of Link flashed through my mind_. 'Just...promise me you'll be careful.'_

_'Amanda, I'm saying this as your friend...Yes, you are that bad.'_ Maya's friendly laughter echoed in the water around me. _'But we still love you anyway.'_

_'Okay, okay. So you're only a few years younger than me. But after this last day or so, and the time I've spent with you in the village, I realized really am starting to think of you like a sister. I hope you don't think that's too weird...' _I could almost see Hane's worried face as he'd waited for my approval.

Jillian's motherly gestures towards me. Siri's effort to speak again. Everyone back in Kakariko and Ordon. The princess' trust in me. And...my family waiting for me at home.

...No. I couldn't die like this. I had to live. I had find a way to get back.

I used every ounce of my strength to move. I could see a light above me. I tried to reach for it, but it was still far away.

Please...

I willed every inch of myself to move closer to the light.

I could almost touch it. My fingertips brushed it and my vision turned completely white.

"...Amanda? Can you hear me? Answer me! Please!"

Someone lifted me out of the water. I felt soft grass brush against my skin as they set me down on solid ground.

My eyelids were heavy as I pried them open. Link was hovering over me, frightened blue eyes fixated on me.

"Miss Amanda?" The princess came and sat down on the other side of me. "Are you all right now?..."

I tried to speak, but still nothing came out. It felt like someone had been choking me. My hand automatically went to my throat, but there were no marks, no sign of any such thing.

Link pulled me up against him so I could sit upright. "Don't force it."

I closed my eyes and leaned against him. I didn't want to tell them. The Hero of Time was dead. And it was my fault.

I killed him.

"Amanda? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

I felt tears begin to fall when Zelda touched my shoulder. Soon, I was sobbing against Link, my tears soaking his tunic. His arms wrapped around me comfortingly and he held me close. "Shh. It's okay now."

"I killed him..." I managed to choke out. "This is all my fault..."

The Princess sat back, confused. "What? Killed who?"

"All four of us are alive." Link said. "Unless you count the poor fish that were in that room...No one is dead."

I heard footsteps behind us. "Oh, good. You're back." Zelda stood to greet someone. A minute later, the hero stepped around him and knelt down next to us, some medical supplies in his hand. "How are you feeling now? Better?"

I nodded, furiously wiping at my tears. How was this possible? I felt like a little kid like this...unable to move or say much of anything.

I noticed he was only wearing a white shirt and several more bandages than just the one I'd given him the last time, but there was no blood anywhere, and none where I remembered I'd stabbed him.

I let out a sigh of relief and I suddenly felt drained.

"She needs to rest. We'll talk more when she wakes up." Link said.

I don't remember them saying any more. If they did, I was fast asleep before I could register anything.

* * *

It was dark when I awoke again. I felt stronger now and I was able to sit up on my own. My throat felt less constricted, and I felt bandages tied around my midsection.

"Oh, you're awake." The Princess was sitting next to a fire a few feet away. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." I managed. "What...happened?"

"That, I couldn't tell you. You'd have to ask Link. When we got back here, you were both bleeding and you had collapsed."

My heart sunk. "Then I did hurt him."

"What? No. You both had cuts from the battle, but that was the extent of the injuries." She scooted closer. "Why do you keep saying that?"

I pulled my blankets around me. It was cold. I took a breath and told her the whole story. The Hero of Time getting crushed, my body moving on it's own, the blurred images I saw...and the stabbing.

She listened quietly. "...I see. No wonder you were so shaken up."

We both turned when the grass rustled. Both of them came out of the shadows.

The hero, who was still dressed in that white shirt only looked sheepish. "Sorry. We didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Link sat down next to me. "You okay now?"

I managed a smile. "Yeah...Thanks. I'm okay. Sorry about earlier..."

He shook his head. "No...Don't be. I'm just glad you're okay."

The shadows moved on their own now and Midna took form. "Okay, so...What happened?" She leaned back, looking fairly undisturbed, but curious all the same. "When we got back here, it was a mess."

The Hero of Time leaned against the wall. I realized we were camped underneath an outcropping of rock. "It started when we got into that room. Everything started coming down. I wasn't fast enough and nearly got crushed."

"...I thought you had been..." I said, the vision flashing through my memory.

"Me? Nah. I can use magic, too, you know." He said. He held his hand out. "Here, watch."

There was a green flash of light and a gust of wind, and he disappeared. Moments later, he reappeared a few feet away.

Farore's Wind. I should've known.

"I remember that and you killing it after I had hit it. But after that..." My head hurt trying to even think about it

Midna jerked her thumb in the direction of Link. "He had it the pinned down so it couldn't move. That's probably how you were able to hit it before he even got there. It still smacked you both around pretty good, though."

"There was this black smoke..." I murmured. "...Unless I dreamed that, too."

"That must've been what gave you that nightmare." The hero said. "You pushed me out of the way of it just before it touched me."

"You were brought here after that." Zelda finished. "Link here told us the spring waters have healing powers."

"A...spring?..." I said. "This is Lanayru's spring, then?"

"Yeah." He said. "Anywhere else was too far away."

"Are_ you _okay?" I asked.

"Fine. Just some scratches like the rest of you." He didn't take his eyes off of me when he said it and I felt shivers run down my spine. He looked tired and the shadows covered parts of his face. He was almost as scary-looking as the wolf I knew he could turn into. I _would've_ been scared if I didn't know him better.

The princess glanced from me to Link, then stood up and brushed off her clothes. "I think I'm going to go take a walk. Want to come with me?"

The hero must've gotten the hint. "Of course." He offered her his arm like a gentleman and they left fairly quickly.

"Did anyone threaten you?" Link asked quietly.

"What? No." He never even said anything at all. His grin had been scary enough. I shook my head. "Don't worry. It was just a bad dream." I tried to smile as I layed back down and snuggled into the blankets around me. "I promise."

He visably relaxed. He must've thought it'd been someone's attempt at me. I wouldn't put it past Ganondorf, but somehow it felt like it'd come from somewhere-_someone_-else.

"We'll head back to the village in the morning." He said, scooting closer and leaning against the cave wall.

I sat up again. "What? Why? I'm fine now."

"I know that. But I'm not letting you spend your birthday in a place like this."

I smacked my forehead and flopped back down. "I completely forgot. It's the day after tomorrow, isn't it?"

He chuckled. "More reason to go back. Try to sleep. We'll leave early in the morning."

"Okay." A yawn came out on it's own. I closed my eyes and waited a minute before asking, "How did you find out?"

Link laughed now. "Guess."

I tried to sigh to cover up a giggle, but it didn't work. Jillian was so pushy. "No need. I know. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Amanda."

* * *

It was cold when I opened my eyes again. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes. Both of the guys were still asleep. The princess wasn't anywhere to be seen.

I pulled my blanket around my shoulders and tiptoed quietly away from the camp.

The princess was sitting on the shore of the spring, dipping her feet in. She brightened when she saw me. "Good morning, Miss Amanda. Sleep well?"

"Very well. How about you?"

"Just fine, thank you. Please, sit if you like." She said, gesturing to the spot next to her.

I dipped my bare feet in the water and settled down in the grass. "The water feels good."

"It does." She agreed. "Just the thing to wake you up. My feet were sore yesterday and the water has done a fine job of healing them."

My shadow took an unusual shape until Midna appeared from it. "I must say, you two were quite the handful yesterday. No wonder the twins in there are still asleep."

The twins. I tried not to smile and bit my lip instead. I suppose that was accurate. They _did _look alike. "What do you mean, Midna?"

"She refused to stay on the side while Mr. Hero in there tried to fight pin that thing down." She snorted. "Sounds like you did the same thing."

"Maybe...but I don't know how." I said.

"Why do you say that?" Zelda brought her knees up, and leaned on them. Such a normal thing that I did often myself, but it made her seem as young as she really was. She might've been younger than me, even. But she acted with such dignity all the time, you'd never know it.

I sighed. "It's...happened twice before. Every time I get really scared or angry, my halberd seems different. Then it's like I lose control of my body." I leaned back on my hands. "I was doing things I wouldn't normally do. It's weird."

She was quiet for a moment, thinking. "May I see it?"

I got up and grabbed it from it's place leaning against the wall. She slipped her feet back into her shoes and stood up.

"Rusl said it was ancient writing. He couldn't read it." I said as she examined it.

"It is, but it's so rusted that I can't read it." She replied. "Do you have someone who could restore it?"

I remembered the piece of paper Renado had given me. "Yeah."

"Once you get it restored, bring it to me. I should be able to read it for you. We might be able to find out why this is happening."

"I will. Thank you."

"Well, good morning ladies." The hero stretched as he stepped out of the outcropping.

We both said out greetings and I went to put my halberd back as they talked quietly. Link was sitting up in bed when I went to lay it against the wall.

"Good morning." I said cheerfully.

He yawned, scratching his head and rustling his messy hair. He didn't seem awake yet. "Good morning." He mumbled. He looked a lot better than last night, and I was relieved. "You're sure cheerful."

"Guess I'm a morning person every once and a while."

"Sure, once every million years." Midna chimed in from nearby.

She _had_ to ruin it by saying stuff like that. I chose to ignore it and began to roll up my things and put them away. Eventually he got up to do the same. All four of us ate a quick breakfast afterwords before heading up the steep incline and outside into the sunshine.

It was a gorgeous day, too. It was only morning, but it was already beginning to get warm. There were no signs of a storm that had ravaged the country a few nights earlier.

"Wow. What beautiful weather." The Princess said, shielding her eyes from the light.

"It doesn't even look like there was a storm." The hero agreed, echoing my own thoughts.

Did they read minds now?

"We should get back, Amanda." Link said.

He nodded. "So should we, Zelda."

The princess and I exchanged glances. "So impatient. these two." She shook her head and took out her ocarina. "But before we go, I must thank you two. Without your help, that awful twilight would still be there."

I'd almost forgotten about that.

"Yes, I must thank you, too." The Hero of Time said. "I wouldn't have been able to do this by myself."

He held out his hand for Link to shake and he hesitated before giving him his hand. Zelda and I both stood next to each other arms folded watching.

"Wow, they're getting along."

"It's a miracle."

"Okay, we're going." Link said, grabbing my arm and leading me up the wooden walkway.

"Us, too." The other said, pushing her in the other direction.

I laughed as I was being pulled away. "Later!"

She looked over her shoulder and gave me a wink and a mischievous grin. "See you soon!"

I tried to keep up with Link as he pulled me along, but he was fast. I heard a soft song and the breeze picked up. They were gone now. "Slow down! Sheesh! They left already."

"Sorry." He let go of my arm. "It still is a little weird to talk to someone that looks exactly like me."

"So how exactly are we getting back up there?" I asked, pointing to the bridge above us. "I didn't see any stairs."

He scratched the back of his head. "Uh, about that..."

Uh-oh. This didn't sound good. "What?"

"Well, maybe I should just show you."

He led me down to the lake and we walked across a wooden bridge floating on the water. At the end was...the cannon. Goody.

"On second thought, I'll take my chances climbing the cliff." I turned and Link just grabbed the back of my shirt, keeping me with him.

"Don't worry." The clown-like man said cheerfully. "It doesn't hurt a bit."

"That makes me feel so much better." I muttered.

"It'll only last a few seconds." He said, stepping inside. I hesitated and he held a hand out to me. "I won't let anything hurt you. Come on."

Darn it. What was I supposed to do when he said things like that? I stepped inside with him and the clown-man poked his head in just before he closed the door. "Make sure to hold onto the little lady tight. Have a fun trip!"

I wanted to strangle him for being so cheerful. _He_ wasn't the one riding in the scary cannon.

The cannon shook and the door slammed shut. He pulled me against his body as it began to spin around. The floor rose up several feet and soon we were almost lying on our sides. I was so close to him, closer than I was on the horse with him. Or at least it seemed that way.

Neither of us had a chance to say anything before something powerful shot us up and out and into the air. We were flying, flying...and then he grabbed me and landed on his feet in the chicken pen, still holding me.

"There, see? It's over." Link said, setting me on my feet.

"You say that, but you look pretty shaky yourself." I replied.

"It's just your imagination."

Sure it was. I shook my head and followed him up the ramp and out.

"I need to make a stop in the Castle Town. You think you can go back yourself halfway?" He asked, as we exited.

I checked to make sure I'd heard what I thought I did. He seemed to be serious. "Yeah...but is everything okay?"

Link picked up a piece of grass and played a sweet, familiar tune before he nodded. "Just something important I need to take care of." The piece of grass was tossed aside as horses' hooves sounded in the distance.

"Yeah, I can. Don't worry about it."

Zale and Epona came running together around the corner. He stopped just an inch away from me and nudged me, nipping at my arm affectionately.

"Glad to see you're okay, boy." I whispered, patting his soft nose.

"Shall we go, then? It'll get hot before too long. You don't want we to dunk you in that water again, do you?" He teased.

No way in heck was I getting back into deep water for a while. "Okay, okay." I quickly climbed onto Zale and we were off.

* * *

I stepped into the inn alone several hours later, breathing in the smell of fresh bread. I realized how hungry I was. "Hello? Anybody home?"

"Amanda?" I heard something clattering to the floor and Maya came flying out of the kitchen. She nearly knocked me over when she tried to hug me. "I heard everything that happened from Hane! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I'm fine, Maya." I pulled her back. "So Hane is okay?"

She waved her hand. "Oh that? He's been in much worse shape. He's completely fine."

Jillian came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron. "You must be hungry, dear. Come eat."

I was led away by the two and into the kitchen. Ilia was in there, stirring something in a pot. Jillian patted her on the shoulder and put her to work cutting the fresh bread I'd smelled.

It was nice to be around something so normal after my nightmares in the temple.

"So where is Hane if he's all better then?" I asked, finishing off my food.

"He's in town, meeting up with Link." She said, propping her chin on her hand.

I lowered my voice to a whisper. "So...What are they up to?"

"Ah, ah, ah." Jillian waggled a finger at me. "You'll find out tomorrow. You should go rest. You'll need it."

...For what?

Maya whisked my plate away from me. "Yup. We need to finish sorting out some things anyway. Ilia, take her upstairs, would you?"

Ilia nodded and smiled. "Sure thing. Let's go."

"Pushy, pushy. Okay, I'm going."

I heard excited whispering coming from the kitchen as I walked out with Ilia.

"Don't worry." She said, when she saw me glance back towards the kitchen. "They care about you a lot. That's why they're being so secretive."

I smiled back. "I know."

I changed quickly when I got upstairs. My nightgown felt cool against my skin. It was nice to get out of that lake water-soaked white tunic dress and into clean clothes.

Ilia was sitting on her bed when I brought my dirty clothes out and dropped them in the basket to be washed.

I sat down on my bed across from her, tying my hair back. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, much better, thank you." She said politely. "I still can't remember anything, though."

I watched her as she answered. The polite smile was genuine, but it was clear she still didn't know me or anything that'd happened. "It's okay. You will in time."

"I sure hope so. But you all are so kind to me. I won't worry about it for now." She stood and waved. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight." I waited until she left and pulled my legs into bed with the rest of me.

What a long several days it had been. I didn't want to dream, but I knew I was exhausted. Sleeping outdoors was nice, but it was nothing compared to the inn's beds.

I pulled the pillow over my head and tried to sleep.

My birthday...I wonder what they were planning?

* * *

Review? D:


	29. The Ceremony

**Author's Note:** I already had this one mostly written, so it didn't take long to finish. Good thing, too. I have a lot of other work to do this week. x_x

Reviews:

KingofHeartless'09: Glad you started reading this. I hope you'll continue!

Ilovesheikey: I'm flattered. :D I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Let me know if anything needs improvement!

Devonlizz: Thank you. I'll try to update as often as I can. :)

depositink: Guess you'll see if you were right, huh? :)

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Ceremony**

It smelled like cinnamon. And chocolate.

I opened my eyes and sat up. The entire room was empty. Curtains were pulled and tied back and soft morning sunlight was streaming in, creating sparkles on a vase next to my bed. Red flowers that looked magical flowed from it, streaming over a hand-written note.

_Amanda,_

_Don't worry about anything. This is your day, so I want you to relax. I'm going to town for a while again with Hane, but I'll be back for your party later. Everyone else will be around. _

_Have fun._

_Link_

I smiled and layed the paper back on the nightstand. Stretching, I threw my legs over the edge of my bed and admired the flowers. They smelled sweet, like candy. We needed flowers like these at home. All the great things about candy without the guilt.

I could hear soft voices coming from downstairs. My robe was waiting on the edge of the bed and I threw it on along with my slippers before going downstairs.

The main room was empty, but there was something that caught my eye. One of the tables was decorated with lace coasters and placemats and pretty dishware.

Talo poked his head out from the kitchen. "Ah!" Was all he said before he disappeared around the corner again.

Jillian appeared a moment later with a plate of something I'd never seen before. "Good morning, young lady." She set her load down on the table and hugged me. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, Jillian." I said, hugging her back. "What is all this?"

"Your breakfast. I hope you're hungry. There's more." She motioned to someone in the kitchen. "Come on boys. Bring it here."

Colin and Talo came out with a few more dishes. One was definately eggs, and the other was potatoes. Colin had a few smaller dishes with what looked like toppings of some sort. Definitely sweet toppings for the dish that Jillian had brought out. Which now that I looked at better, looked like crepes.

"Now you sit and eat." Jillian pulled out a chair for me and ushered me into it. "I'll go get the juice."

When she went back into the other room, I smiled wryly at the boys, who were eyeing the food. I knew that look all too well. I had two brothers. "I hope you guys are eating with me. I won't be able to eat all of this alone."

"We're supposed to eat in the kitchen and let you eat peacefully." Colin said.

I pushed back my chair and grabbed a few more, placing them around the table. "I like noise better." I pointed at a third chair when Jillian came back into the room with a pitcher and cups. "You, too. No one eats in the kitchen on my birthday."

She sighed and smiled. "Anyone ever told you you're bossy?"

I gave her a daughterly kiss on the cheek and grinned. "My mom. And all the time."

I helped serve the food and then sat down to eat my own. Colin and Talo practically inhaled it. Before I knew it, they were done and off to wash their own dishes. They yelled a thank you as they ran out the front door.

"Full of enegy, those two." Jillian chuckled as she ate her own breakfast.

"So, where's Maya, Ilia, and the girls?" I asked, as I tasted the sweet-looking bread with some of the fluffy topping. It did taste like a crepe. "It's awful quiet."

"Ah, they had a few things to do as well. We planned your entire day for you, so there's a lot of things to be done."

I sipped my juice and gave her a look. "You're not going to tell me about any of it, are you?"

She just sipped her own and answered with, "Nope." And with that, she finished off her breakfast and started to clear the dishes. "When you finish eating, go get dressed. The twins are waiting for you."

I never should've taken another sip of my drink, because I almost choked. "T-twins? As in...?"

"Livius and Siena. The two who work for Telma." Jillian gave me a sympathetic smile. "I know you don't know them very well, but Livius heard it was your birthday and wanted to help."

Who could've...? Haneeee. I was going to get him for this later. He knew how nervous I got around Livius. Why, he was probably in town right now laughing over it.

The older woman must've seen me fuming and realized I'd just sit there and not eat, because she pulled me up out of my chair and prodded me towards the stairs. "Just go get ready to go. They're meeting you at the sanctuary. Maya's gift for you is on her bed."

I knew I wasn't going to get out of it, so I might as well just get ready to go. When I got back into the room, I saw the box she'd been talking about. I hadn't noticed it when I got up. It was tied with a sheer blue ribbon, and soft paper that was sort of like tissue paper lined the inside.

Pulling it aside, I gasped.

A sleeveless grey-blue tunic with a white feminine shirt were folded neatly. Black pants were underneath with blue ballerina flats. The flats had black bows. Unfolding the tunic, I saw it was long and pleated, almost like a dress. The back of it had black ties.

It looked like something from back home that I'd wear. Laying it out on the bed, I saw I missed another much smaller box. Opening it, I saw a black braided headband and a note.

_Happy birthday to my dearest friend! I've only known you a little while, but I feel like we're sisters that were separated at birth. I picked out these clothes from what you told me about your own world. I wanted you to be comfortable and have something that reminded you of home. _

_I hope you're having a good day. I'll see you later! _

_Maya_

_P.S. Don't try to snoop around, because Mom will be bound to catch you. Just do what she says for today. Trust me on this one. _

I laughed. I knew she was right, but at the same time I was getting pretty curious as to what they were all up to.

Nevertheless, I shed my nightgown and pulled on my new clothes. They fit perfectly and were very comfortable. I ran a brush through my hair and put on the headband. I didn't want to make Siena and Livius wait, but I tried to make sure everything looked right before I left the room. Those two made me more self-concious than any people I'd ever been around.

"Amanda!" Colin called from the bottom of the stairs. "Livius is here to pick you up!"

I jumped. Here? Now? To pick me up? That made it sound like a date!

I tried not to look flushed as I shut the bedroom door behind me. Coming down the stairs, I saw Livius waiting by the front door, talking with Talo about something. He was chuckling and ruffling his hair as I approached.

"Wow, Amanda. You look pretty in that." Colin piped up from beside the banister.

"Thank you Colin. That's very sweet of you." I smiled.

That caught Livius' attention. "He's right, _pouquita_." He smiled widely, dimples and all. "Very, very pretty."

Oh boy. Here we go.

I blushed. Vividly. "Thank you."

He offered me his arm. "Shall we, m'lady? Your carriage awaits."

I carefully slipped my arm into his and he led me outside. I yelped a little and then covered my mouth in embarrassment.

A carriage was parked in front of the porch. It looked like Telma's carriage, but it was pretty amazing anyway.

"Weren't expecting a real carriage, were you?" Livius' grey eyes twinkled.

"N-not really." I mumbled.

The carriage door opened and Siena stepped out gracefully. "You must be Amanda." She held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

I slipped my hand into hers. "Nice to meet you, too."

She was beautiful as she smiled at me, but it seemed kind of distant. "We should get going, brother. We don't have much time before they return."

It seemed like they were all business as I asked, "Huh? Who?"

Livius led me to the carriage and helped me inside before offering me a wink. "It's a secret, _pourquita_. Secret." With that, he shut the door and hopped up front to drive. Siena was seated across from me.

"Don't worry too much about him. He's just a flirt. He doesn't mean any harm." Siena said as the carriage started to move.

I held my hands up. "Don't worry. I figured as much. This whole day was planned by Jillian, so I figure if I should be suspicious of anybody, it's her."

"You're not worried we might be taking you somewhere dangerous?"

"Are you?"

"No."

"Then that's good enough for me."

She surveyed me for a second before propping her delicate chin on her hand. "You're very trusting."

"Nah." I shrugged. "Just naive, I guess. I like to believe that everyone is good. Even though I know that's not the case." I smiled at her to try to relax her a bit. She seemed tense. "It'll probably get me into trouble someday, but for now I'm not going to worry about it."

I heard horses outside the small window and I reached to pull the curtain aside and look, but Siena stopped me. "Nope. We were instructed not to let you look outside. They don't want you to see anything."

Resisting the urge to do it anyway, I just sat back and nodded. "Fair enough. Though now I'm really curious as to what they're up to."

"I would be curious in your place, as well." Her amber eyes were serious as she said it, though her voice was anything but. "But these people care about you greatly. That's the reason they're trying so hard to keep it a secret."

"I know." I chuckled. "It doesn't stop me from wanting to be a bit nosy, though."

We were quiet after that. Siena sat with her eyes closed, looking like she was asleep. If it weren't for the occasional shift in position and murmured answered to her brother, I would've thought she was. Before too long, I could hear the wheels clattering over a wooden bridge.

"Ah, we're almost there." Siena sat up, alert now. A few minutes later, the carriage pulled to a stop and Livius slid a small window open from the front.

"Wait here one moment, _pourquita_." He slid the window shut again and hopped off the seat. I heard some rustling and the sound of something being dragged before he opened the door and offered me a hand down. "Come. There's someone who wants to meet you."

I let him help me down and Siena followed behind. We stepped inside a small two-floor building. It was nicely furnished in the front, with a counter towards the back. Beautiful costumes hung from the wall, encased in glass to protect the fabric. They looked royal, like something a princess would wear to a coronation, but all of them were different and unique.

Two women came out from a door behind the counter. One was older like Jillian (probably the owner of this place), and the other was younger, closer to my age.

The younger woman's face lit up when she saw Livius standing behind me. "Livius! What are you doing here?"

"Good afternoon, Milla. Nice to see you." He bowed low and kissed her hand.

Wow. What a flirt. But a cute flirt.

"E-excuse me. I need to go get some things from the other room."

He smiled. "But of course."

Milla practically floated away and I tried not to giggle. She was cute and tiny and reminded me of my best friend back home. She usually got flustered over guys really easily.

"Welcome. You must be Amanda. My name is Karae. Pleased to meet you." The older woman curtsied, and swept her hand towards the couches. "Please sit."

I sat down on one of the plush couches next to Siena. Livius stood behind us, almost like a bodyguard. He certainly was muscular enough for it. Milla came back into the room with a long tray. When she set it down on the table in front of us, I saw it had several different flowers arranged on it.

"Before we get to the fitting..." Fitting? What fitting? I was starting to get more curious by the minute. "We must have you pick a combination of two of these."

The tray was arranged with small bunches of eight different types of flowers, all of them different colors and different sizes. "Wow, they're all so pretty."

"Indeed. Which ones do you like the best,_ pourquita_?" Livius asked.

I picked up a few stems of tall deep blue flowers and paired them with smaller, more delicate yellow ones. The contrast was pretty to look at and bright enough to be cheerful. "I like these."

Karae nodded in approval. "You have a good eye. They match very well." She motioned for Millia to take them back. "Now, we only have a few hours to get you ready, so if you'll come with me up the stairs, we'll get started."

Siena held a hand up when Livius moved to follow. "You can stay here, brother. It's not appropriate for you to watch."

He was adorable when he was pouting. "Always so serious, Siena." He gave me a charming smile and flopped down on one of the soft couches. "But if you wish, I'll stay down here."

I'm pretty sure Siena was giving her twin the evil eye as I was led up the stairs and into a fairly large room. A tall mirror was placed against the wall on the far side, and yards of pale yellow and white fabric hung from hangars. Chests were placed on the opposite wall, probably full of pins, thread and other tools.

"Now, the undergarment is hard to get on, so we will have to help you with some of it. But quite a bit of it you can do yourself." Karae moved to open a drawer and pulled out several pieces of white clothing. "You can change into it from behind the screen."

"Okay." I took the undergarments from her and slipped away to change. I heard Siena step into the room and murmur something to the older woman before leaving again. The underclothes were a sleeveless slip with a few ties, with flared pants instead of a skirt. I had no idea what the ties were for, so I left it alone. I stepped out and held out my arms. "Done. So what next?"

"Well-" There was a knock on the door and Karae turned to answer it. There were a few murmured voices, one male and one female. Probably one of the twins. She stuck her head back in and shut the door. "My apologies. Now, we're going to see if we can do something with that hair of yours before we get you dressed."

I picked up a lock of my auburn hair and studied it. It had gotten rather unruly. "That sounds good to me."

The older woman pulled over a chair and set it down in front of the mirror. "Hurry and sit down, now. We don't have much time to make you into a princess."

I did as I was told and Karae went to work.

...Princess? What exactly were they getting me ready for?

* * *

It was two hours later when Karae finally stepped back and said, "Finished." She helped me carefully down from the wooden block I'd been standing on while she fitted my outfit to me. "Go on and look, now."

I turned to glance in the tall mirror and I gasped. It didn't look like me at all.

The girl staring back at me had expertly trimmed auburn hair with razor-straight bangs and small pieces of hair that framed her face. Her eyes were emphasised with dark full lashes that made her hazel eyes look softer and definitely feminine.

The dress was high-waisted and blue, with a long skirt and short sleeves. The almost japanese-style overcoat was pale yellow with white patterned leaves on the black waist and edges and a gold ribbon that tied it shut. Special gold clips were scattered through the perfect shape of the half-updo, and a delicate gold circlet completed everything. Oh yeah. And the slippers were pale blue and gold to match.

"You definitely look like a princess." Karae grinned at my still-shocked expression.

"Am I supposed to?" I asked, blinking.

"Ah, I can see you don't know the tradition yet." She patted the chair next to her and I picked up my skirts and gracefully sat down next to her. "On a woman's 20th birthday, there is a short ceremony. It requires dressing up as you have and going to a nearby sanctuary to recieve the goddesses' blessing as you go into adulthood."

Ah, well. I suppose that this will be kind of interesting.

"Jillian arranged for it to be at the one here in town, so you won't need to go far. One of your friends will be waiting to escort you inside when you get there." She pulled open the door and stepped out. "Wait here. I will go get one last thing for you."

She left and I turned to glance at myself again in the mirror. Nope, it still didn't look anything like me.

"_Amanda..._"

I would've jumped, but the skirts were too heavy. I turned to see Zelda standing behind me. She looked worn out, but she was smiling nonetheless.

"Hello, Your Highness." I tried to curtisy, but I stumbled clumsily over the fabric.

She chuckled. "It's just Zelda, remember? I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. You look absolutely radiant."

"Thank you." I blushed in embarassment. How'd she find out? If it was how I suspected, I didn't want to think about it. "I feel strange. I've never worn anything like this before."

"I'm sure. Try to have fun today, okay?" She touched a gloved hand to my shoulder. "I've put a lot on you, but I want you to just forget it for a while."

I smiled. "You're just one of many who've said that today."

"You know some good people." She stepped back. "I must go. The guards will be coming soon."

"Zelda, wait a second." I picked up my skirts and stepped back behind the screen. I picked up the flowers I'd chosen from earlier on the tray and handed them to her. "For your room. I hope they can brighten it up a little."

Zelda touched them gently with a finger, looking a little teary. "Why, they're lovely. I used to pick wildflowers like this when I was young. Thank you."

The door swung open and the princess disappeared in a small flash of light. Siena stepped in with Karae, who had a heavy piece of fabric draped over one arm.

Siena stopped for a moment, not saying anything. I straightened out my skirts. "Do I look that strange?"

She shook her head. "No, forgive me. Just a little different from before, that's all."

Karae shook out the fabric and I recognized it as a cloak. "Come, now. The ceremony will start soon. You mustn't be late."

The two of them helped me put on the heavy cloak and put on the hood. I picked up my skirts and they helped me down the stairs. Livius was waiting again at the bottom. For once, he looked stunned.

He stared for another second before he bowed eloquently and kissed my hand. "You look beautiful, _pourquita_. Absolutely stunning."

"Thank you, Livius." I offered him a smile, though inside I was all fluttery and ready to crumble. What can I say? The man oozed charm.

"Come, Your Highness. We must get you to the sanctuary." He held open the door for me.

I got back in the carriage with help from Siena, who stayed behind.

The streets of the castle town are bigger than you'd think. There's plenty of room for a carriage and people to walk along the sides comfortably. It didn't take long to reach the chapel, though. The curtains were blocking my view, so I couldn't see whose hand I reached for as I stepped out.

My hood fell back and I heard a gasp from the person standing next to me. I looked up and Link was looking at me with surprise. Shock was more like it. Part of me wanted to giggle and the other part of me wondered what the heck was so weird.

"What?" I touched my face. "Do I look that bad?"

He blinked and shook his head. "N-no. Just the opposite. You look...I mean...wow."

Now I giggled. "Lighten up. You're making me nervous." I pulled my skirts straight and smiled. "Thank you for the flowers. They were beautiful."

"You're welcome." He didn't look so bad himself. Instead of the hero's clothes he normally wore, he was wearing a deep blue tunic with silver chainmail. His sandy hair was pulled back, and he wasn't wearing a cap today, so he looked closer to the way he did when I'd met him. But now his muscles were more defined and it was extremely noticable.

Very cute.

"You knew about all this, didn't you?" I said, stepping carefully now as not to trip over my skirts.

"Jillian let me in on it last night."

"And you didn't warn me? You traitor."

"That wouldn't make it a surprise then, would it? Besides..." Link grinned, and took both my hands to help me up the steps. "It's more fun to watch you fret a little."

I blushed furiously as we entered. The entryway was dimly lit with candles and the light from a stained glass window. Hane was standing next to the large double doors to the main part of the chapel, dressed in blue-grey, with almost black chainmail layered underneath. There was never any doubt he was a knight, but now he looked it.

I was starting to wonder if I was dreaming.

Hane didn't seem to shocked at my new look, but he was beaming proudly like an older brother would at seeing his little sister all dressed up.

"Well, well. I think Karae has outdone herself." He said, smiling even wider when he saw how flustered I was getting.

As he said that, the doors swung open and out stepped a short, balding man dressed in white and red robes. He looked to be a priest here, old enough to be someone's grandfather.

"Well, now. I daresay I haven't seen such a pretty one here since your Maya, Hane." The man said, nodding in approval. "What is your name, child?"

"Amanda." I replied, politely clasping my hands in front of me so I wouldn't wring them nerviously.

He closed his eyes. "A lovely name. Though I do not hear it often." He turned to Hane. "We shall move into the chapel. Please keep watch outside as is custom. Come."

"You two aren't coming in?" I asked.

"Whatever happens must happen privately between the goddesses and yourself." The priest answered.

Hane patted my arm comfortingly. "Don't worry, Amanda. Maya has gone through this already herself. She said it wasn't scary. This is just customary, that's all."

Link moved up behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders and whispered, "It's okay. Hane and I will be right outside."

I nodded and carefully picked up my skirts so I could walk. My slippers made a quiet tapping sound on the stone floor as I moved forward into the chapel. It was just as dimly lit as the entryway. The stained-glass windows made patterns on the red velvet rug that ran up the middle of the room to the altar.

The priest moved to shut the doors. I could've sworn I heard the click off a lock, too, but I brushed it off as nothing. My heart was beating fast as I waited for him to finish.

...Why was I so nervous?

Ugh. I felt silly, standing in the middle of the room, acting all scared. What was there to be so afraid of, anyway? I wasn't fragile and defenseless. And I was in a room with a priest. What was so threatening about that?

I took a deep breath and spoke. "So...What next?" I turned, but there was no one behind me. "Uh...hello?..." When I turned forward again, he was right there. "Ahh!" I jumped back about three feet, nearly tripping over my skirts.

The priest cleared his throat, unfased at my sudden scream. "I apologize if I startled you, child. I went to retrieve a few matches from the side room there. These small candles tend to go out easily. We wouldn't want you stumbling around in the dark and ruining that lovely dress of yours."

"O-oh. I-I see..." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come. Kneel down in front of the altar. I shall help you pray for the goddess' blessing."

I followed him up to the altar and knelt down, making sure to fan my skirts out so they wouldn't get ruined.

The older man stood in front of me and lowered his head. He murmured several sentences that sounded foreign to me before his hand reached out to touch my head. I felt a jolt when his fingers touched my skin. It hurt, but the pain only lasted a second.

Then I could hear voices. The same kind as when I was forcibly warped to the palace, only softer. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but it seemed to be the same thing the priest was mumbling every few seconds.

The voices became louder and I wanted to cover my ears, but I couldn't move. It's like my body was paralyzed as a rushing wind surrounded me.

Soon the room disappeared, and I was floating. Through what, though...It might have been clouds, with how white they were, but it didn't seem like it. The voices stopped and everything was quiet.

I stayed suspended there for I don't know how long. The space filled with a roaring sound and pain shot throughout my entire body, from my hair to my fingertips and toes, everything hurt.

In an instant the white space was gone and I was able to move. I lost my balance and fell over onto the ground.

"Are you alright, child?"

When I looked up, I was back in the chapel. The priest was standing over me, his brow furrowed.

"Y-yeah. Fine." I said, as he reached for my hand to help me up. What exactly had he done to me? I wasn't sore, but I felt strange.

He patted my hand. "Well, now. That wasn't so scary, was it?"

Speak for yourself.

"I'm sure those young men are waiting for you. Let me return you to them." Return? That made me sound like I'd been a prisoner. Although with what had just happened, he might not have been that far off. The older man went over and unlatched the door, and I had to blink at the brightness of the sunlight than poured in when he opened the double doors. It had been darker in that room than I'd realized.

Livius was standing in the doorway, talking to Hane and Link. When he saw me, he smiled and winked before heading back outside. Guh. One of these days, that guy is going to kill me if he keeps looking at me like that.

I quickly spoke to cover up my embarrassment. "I'm sorry. Did you have to wait long?"

Link looked me up and down before he spoke. "No, not too long."

"While it may seem like a long time, child, you were only in there for a mere fifteen minutes." The priest said.

Fifteen minutes? That couldn't be right. And if that was supposed to be a blessing, then why had it been painful? Just trying to wrap my head around what happened made me dizzy.

Hane looked at me and then at Link before he stepped forward. "I beg your pardon, good priest, but we really must be going. Her Highness has other things to attend to today." The knight bowed.

"Come, princess." Link said, playing along with Hane and scooping me up, skirts and all. "Time to get you back to your palace."

"H-hey! Would you two cut it out?" I cried, trying to keep a straight face. It was hard. Their teasing was making me feel more at ease after whatever had happened in the chapel. "Put me down!"

"Okay." He dropped me on the seat next to him.

Hane said something to Livius and then hopped inside the carriage behind us, shutting the door. I grabbed the seat for balance as it jerked foward.

I let out a breath and pulled myself upright. "Whoa! What's the rush?"

Link shrugged. "No rush. You just looked a little unsettled, that's all."

"You okay?" Hane asked. "Maya said you might feel a little odd afterwords."

I checked to make sure. Nothing hurt and that weird feeling was going away, so... "Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks."

"What was that like, anyway?" He seemed genuinely interested. "It was really quiet in there."

"I don't know if I can describe it. It felt...weird. I'll say that much." I replied, resting my chin on my hand and trying not to look like a total liar. I didn't want to worry them. "We certainly never do anything like this back home."

"Well, I'm sure you won't ever forget it, then."

"You're telling me." I mumbled.

"It's strange, though..."

"What is?" Link asked.

"I was allowed in with Maya that day. I wonder why neither of us was allowed in with Amanda?" He shook his head. "Ah, nevermind. I'm sure it's nothing. I've known that priest for a long time. He's a good man." Hane turned and slid open the little window next to the drivers' seat. "When we get close, make sure to stop next to Gina's house on the left."

"Gotcha." Livius answered cheerfully. I could hear him whistling a familiar tune as he urged the horses forward with a gentle slap of the reins.

The summer day outside was perfect. A warm breeze drifted through the open window and I shifted uncomfortably.

"That dress getting to be too much?" Link must've noticed my movements.

"A bit." I said. "It's beautiful, but I'm much more comfortable in different types of clothing. And it's kind of hot today."

"Don't worry, _pourquita_." Livius called from the front. "We'll be back soon."

I nodded and leaned back against the seat. The dress was getting constricting. I would be glad to be back in normal clothes. And I was more than a little curious. They were still being tight-lipped about something.

What could be waiting for me when I returned?

* * *

Next chapter will be up soon! Reviews are appreciated. :D


	30. Traditions

**Author's Note:** Phew. It's summer and I'm still busy. I'd hoped that I would get some more free time, but I'm still doing dance practice everyday and going out and just enjoying life in general. I also am getting ready to go study in Japan next summer. I'm really excited! :D

I plan to have this story done before Skyward Sword comes out. Because once it does, I'm going to be totally absorbed in it. It looks gorgeous.

Bonus points to anyone who can guess the name, artist, and language of the song in this chapter. Try not to use Google. That's kind of cheating. D:  
**  
Reviews:**

**depositink: **Evil things. XD

**Devonlizz: **Thank you! I'm trying to write as often as I can, but life gets busy.

**ChocolateMilkLOL: **Thanks! I'm doing the best I can getting these up!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty: Traditions**

I sat slumped in the carriage as they stopped to water the horses. No amount of moving around made me comfortable, so I'd more or less given up. All three of the guys were out there making sure the animals were comfortable and ready to continue on.

I knew I couldn't get out and ruin the dress, but I was pretty miserable. I didn't have to wait much longer for them to finish, and I breathed a sigh of relief when they got back inside and shut the door again.

Still, I was lucky that they'd gotten me out of town when they did. It was already midday and the sun was absolutely brutal.

"Who could've predicted it would be like this today?" Hane reached over and unlatched the carriage window as he shut the door. "I can't remember it was the last time it was this hot."

"You're telling me." Link said. "The forest never gets this humid."

I shifted my skirts and rolled up my sleeves. "It gets like this at home around my birthday every year, but I'm never wearing things like this." I shoved my newly cut bangs out of the way, but they refused to stay off my face.

"Your mother never made you wear dresses?" He sounded amused.

"Of course she did. Only when I was a little girl, though. She loosened up a bit as I got older." I sighed with happiness when a cool breeze hit my face. "But back then I protested. The skirts always got in the way."

"Of what?"

"Of playing with the other kids. All of the children I grew up with were boys. None of my parent's friends had girls. So I had to learn to do what they did. Climb trees, cliffs, and trek though the woods, play sports..." I smiled at the memory. "Now that I think about it, I earned their respect for being able to do some of those things better than them. And all in my dresses, too."

Hane tried to yank the window open more, but it was no use. "So you hate them?"

"I never said that. I like getting dressed up sometimes. It's just right now I feel like a walking oven." Pulling the skirts off of my feet offered a little more relief, but not much. As I leaned back, something wooden poked me in the elbow. "Hm?"

Reaching into my sleeve, I slid out what had been attached to a small piece of cloth. A fan.

Thank you, Karae.

"What's that?" Link asked.

"Just what we need." I flicked it open and turned it around, using it to get some air moving in the carriage. The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees and it made sitting there bearable.

Neither of them had been complaining about the heat much at all since we left town, but they visibly relaxed when the air began hitting them.

"Hang on back there!" Livius' voice was loud as he called to the horses. The sound of their hooves quickened and I wasn't prepared for the sudden slant of the carriage. It knocked me off balance, and I dropped the fan as I jerked back into my seat.

"Some princess you are. Can't even keep hold of a fan." Hane muttered under his breath.

I was easy to get a rise out of and he knew it all too well by now. "You know what? Fan yourself." I tossed the fan at him like a frisbee and, much to my dismay, he caught it.

"Thanks." The knight smirked and started fanning himself. "Ahh. Much better."

The heat level shot up another couple degrees (for me, at least) as I struggled between laughter and wanting to hit him with the fan he was now smugly using.

Link didn't say a word in the midst of all this, but I could see he was covering up a smile.

I think the heat was starting to drive us all nuts.

In the midst of my fuming, I didn't even notice that the carriage had come to a complete stop in front of the inn or that someone was now knocking on the door.

"Oh, sorry Jillian!"

The woman put her hands on her hips and shook her head as I nearly tumbled out of the carriage. The skirts were long, okay? I'm not the most graceful person in the world.

She had a smile on her lips though as she watched me try to recover any semblance of balance or elegance. "Welcome back."

"Come now, pourquita. Don't just stand there." Livius jumped down from the front only to pluck me off the step like I weighed nothing and set me down. Dust from the dry road floated up as my skirt hit the ground.

Well so much for grace. What kind of princess kicks up dust clouds?

"Oh, good! She's back!" Maya came flying out the front door with Ilia in tow. They stationed themselves on either side of me, and grabbed my arms. "Let's go."

"Go? I'm almost afraid to ask where."

"Oh, don't worry. It's not far." Ilia replied good-naturedly. She didn't seem to be as in on it as the rest of them were. It was more like contracted to do their dirty work.

They're still up to something dirty, I tell you.

They marched me quickly into one of the houses nearby and locked the door behind us. It'd been converted into a changing room, with a folding screen, a mirror and a few bottles on the dresser, which I assumed was makeup.

"Okay, now it's time to change!" Maya declared.

"I'm sure you're hot in that." Ilia smiled and picked up a large box from the dresser. It had a neat little green bow on it. "This is from Jillian. She said you should open it when you change."

"But first..." Maya rolled up her sleeves. "Let's get you out of that dress."

Getting out of the long, flowing dress was almost as troublesome as getting in it. All the hairclips and pins came out revealing the mass of dark curls Karae had created earlier in the day. Then the overcoat and sash, the dress, and everything that went with it.

After that I was promptly shoved behind the folding screen with the box in hand.

"Geez, you'd think they were in a hurry..." I muttered under my breath as I pulled off the lid.

In the box lay a deep, emerald green strapless dress. It was very simple and modern-looking, with it's knee-length flared skirt and shiny fabric.

"Wow..." I touched it. It was _soft_.

I picked it up carefully and slid it over my head. There were ties in the back to tighten it, but I left those alone because I couldn't reach them. I put on the black high-heeled shoes had been borrowed from a village lady to wear with the dress.

"Are you done back there?" Maya called.

"Yeah! I'm coming out." I held onto the top part of it as I stepped out.

They were sitting by the dresser in chairs, fixing their hair. They had changed into dresses, too. Maya in a periwinkle blue dress with white lace and Ilia in a cream strapped dress and a gold-colored shawl.

Ilia saw me first. "Wow! You look great in that!" She clapped her hands together happily "Jillian was completely right about this dress, don't you think?"

"My mom, as much as I hate it, tends to be right most of the time." Maya got up and helped me with the ties in the back. "Although this time..." She hugged me. "I'm glad she was. You look !gorgeous. You'll make ? go crazy when he sees you in that."

"Maya!" I whirled around to face her. "You are just as bad as your fiancee. There's _nothing _going on."

She was the picture of innocence as she batted her long dark lashes. "Did I_ say _there was something going on? You're the one who's yelling."

Ugh, she was right.

I made myself busy with the makeup on the dresser. "Uh...anyway, what's next?"

Snickering behind her hand, she sat me down and helped me to finish my hair. Maya and Hane may have made a cute couple, but they were a scary matchmaking team. Even now, she looked like she was plotting something else as her fingers worked quickly to create a small braid just behind my bangs.

Seriously, just...it was scary.

* * *

It turns out they had me get dressed somewhere else because Jillian was putting the finishing touches on the dinner she'd been making all day. The flowers I'd picked out in Karae's shop were placed in several vases down the tables they'd shoved together.

Dinner was amazingly good, with tons of fresh vegtables and hot bread, plus a traditional special occasion roast with lots of herbs. Livius and Sienna stayed to eat, which made me slighty uncomfortable (if only because Livius had been sending his oh-so-charming smile my direction every chance he got).

Thanks, Livius. Give Hane and Maya more of a reason to fix me up with you or anybody else, why don't you?

Did no one here remember that I had a boyfriend?

Maya nudged me in the ribs and pointed at the tall, tanned man who was stacking heavy dishes and carrying them into the kitchen like they weighed nothing.

Obviously not.

I tried to offer my help with getting dishes and cleaning up for dessert, but every single one of them refused to let me lift a finger. While I appriciated and even enjoyed the special treatment, it was starting to drive me nuts not being able to help with anything.

Jillian and Hane came back out of the kitchen with trays of tea and juice, and a small cake. The kids had now gone upstairs to play quietly before bed, so it was just the adults now. The drinks were poured into pretty, champaigne-like flutes with whole chunks of fruit on the rims or in the juice themselves. The cake smelled light and sweet, and tasted just as good.

I took my time with it, savoring the vanilla-like flavor of it. "Jillian, this is wonderful."

She smiled and patted my hand from across the table. "I'm glad you like it, dear. It's a family recipie."

"Mom makes it on special occasions." Maya added, sighing in extasy as she took another bite of her dessert. "It's made with a special nut that's only available in the summertime."

I nodded, unable to speak because my mouth was full of the sweet cake. I think it might be even more addicting than chocolate. Which is kind of a scary thought.

"You know, I'm impressed." Hane said. "I figured you'd have cracked by now."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He plucked a piece of fruit from his glass and popped it in his mouth. "We all figured you'd have tried to peek at things today and insist on helping no matter what. But you've been a pretty good sport about it."

"My family acts the same way." Actually, they were way worse. "I've learned to just accept it."

"I have a question." Livius leaned on his hands, dessert having long been polished off. "You're a musician, yes?"

"That's right." I shot a glance at Hane who seemed pretty relaxed and just shrugged. How much information did he offer up about me on a daily basis to this guy or anyone else for that matter?

"May I make a request, then?"

I had a gut feeling about where this was leading. "Sure."

"Sing something for us. I don't believe I've ever heard you sing."

I knew it. I didn't particularly mind, though. I missed being able to practice every day, and although I sang to myself when I was alone, it wasn't the same.

"Okay, but I'll just do a short one." I stood up and pushed my chair back.

I moved to the side where they all could see me and turned around, picturing the tempo, pitch, and beat of the song in my head.

"Make it good, or you'll have to do it over!" Link said from behind me.

Sneaking a quick look over my shoulder, I wrinkled my nose at him. Okay. Concentrate.

I could picture the sound of it perfectly in my head and the world began to fade away as I started to sing.

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I seek separation  
Because your cruel words have inflicted wounds  
My once-loving heart cannot recognize you  
It tells me to stop, let's break up_

_Love, love hurts  
Love, separation speaks to me  
Love, even if I am alone again  
A woman speaks, clutching her wounded heart_

_If separation can mend a heart scolded by love  
I don't leave you (Leave me)  
I can't leave you (Leave me)  
So I love you you're my soul_

_Love, love hurts  
I will take the painful love  
Love, separation speaks to me  
It can't be anyone but you, you're my love  
Even if I am alone again  
A woman speaks, clutching her wounded heart  
A man speaks, saying I'm sorry, I love you _

The last notes of the song faded away and I came back to reality. I'd done a shortened version of the long because it was normally a duet, so I'd hoped it had some impact.

It was silent and I laughed a little. "I know, I know. I'm out of practice. Sorry."

"If that was out of practice..." Link said. "I'd like to see you when you've practiced a week or so."

I met his eyes and he looked thouroughly impressed. I may not have been all that great with a weapon or fighting, but knowing I had his respect for something that I loved doing so much made me feel pretty darn good.

Ilia, Maya, and Jillian seemed to be on the verge of tears, so I knew how they felt about it.

"What a beautiful and exotic sounding language." Livius said. "Not to mention a lovely voice."

I bowed a little as I tried to hide my slight blush. "Oh, thank you. I've practiced since I was little to get this way. I'm glad to hear my hard work wasn't for nothing."

Sienna nodded in agreement. She seemed to be a woman of vesry few words, so I took that as a positive thing.

"Okay," Maya scrubbed at her eyes, wiping away any tears. "Hane, your turn."

The knight looked surprised. "Wha-me? You want _me_ to sing now?"

"No, I know you can't carry a tune." Ouch. "I want to see you wrestle Livius. Last time you almost beat him."

"Maya, that was-"

Of course, she already knew what he meant (being his fiancee and all). "Yeah, but you aren't drinking now, are you?"

Uh-oh. I don't know if I want to see this. I managed to slip out of my chair while they were arguing and take a few of my dishes with me into the kitchen. I started to rinse them off when he came into the kitchen with his own dishes.

"You just couldn't help yourself." Link set the plates down next to mine.

"What?" A few bubbles flew up from the sink as I scrubbed. "You guys have been working hard all day and I think it's okay that I at least do my own dishes."

He thought it over for a second, then grabbed a towel. "At least let me help, then."

"Deal." I knew it was better than Jillian finding out. She was a stickler for this stuff.

Laughted exploded from the other room as they continued on with their antics.

"Seems like they're having fun."

I nodded, a smile on my lips as I heard a crash. Sounds like Maya won that argument. I hope Hane wasn't breaking any bones. "I am, too."

"Want to take a walk? It's still pretty light out." He dried the last of his own dishes off and folded the towel as I stacked mine on the shelf above the sink.

I winced as there was another crash from the main room. Were they killing each other in there? "S-sure."

We snuck out the back door and walked down the main road a ways towards the shore of the spring. My feet were beginning to get sore, so I slipped off my shoes and stepped into the water.

I shivered the instant it swirled around my ankles. "This spring never ceases to amaze me. It's always cold, no matter how hot it is."

"It might be because of the spirit protecting it. It has healing properties like the others, too."

"You might be right." Kicking the water around with my feet created little rainbows in the fading sunlight as it rained back down.

Link slipped off his boots and joined me in the water, unusually quiet. "Amanda."

"Hmm?"

Reaching into his pocket, he handed me a black box. "Here."

"What's this?" The box was really tiny.

Inside was a gold necklace with little stones set into the tiny oval-shaped pendant. It was very feminine and pretty, and it reminded me of the one I'd lost what seemed like ages ago.

He seemed to know what I was thinking and he scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "I know it doesn't replace the one you gave away but..." It was strange to see him look so unsure of himself; it was something I didn't see very often. He was normally confident and strong. It made him seem more human.

And it was cute.

In the heat of the moment, I stood on my tiptoes and pulled him close as I kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

Then to keep myself from doing anything else stupid, I reached around and clipped the necklace on. It had looked delicate before, but it felt even moreso now that I was wearing it. I was almost afraid I'd break it.

When I dared to look back up at him, he seemed as embarrassed as I knew I was. But he seemed relieved, too. Aww, was he worried I'd wouldn't like it?

Another glance and...yep, he was.

_Cute._

"Hey!" I could hear Maya before I saw her. Her blue dress flowed out behind her gracefully as she ran. "So this is where you two went." She looked from me to him. "Am I...inturrupting something?"

"No, Maya. It's okay." He nudged me a little.

"Come on." She grabbed my hand and tugged me forward. "I've got one last surprise for you."

"What? There's more?" I loved my friend dearly, but I had no idea why she was almost dragging me down the road and why he wasn't trying to stop her.

"Last one, I promise. It's a tradition here, and everyone would be sad if you didn't participate."

"I know, but you guys have already done so much..."

"Don't worry, this one wasn't to hard to put together." Her words sounded almost menacing, like any minute she was going to start laughing like a maniac. Every part of me was telling me to run in the other direction.

Stupid as I was, I let her pull me up the stairs. But I stopped in front of the door. "Okay, we're here. What is it?"

"Well, it's actually more like another present we give every year. It's always my favorite out of all of them on my birthday." I hadn't noticed there was another box sitting on the railing. She picked it up gingerly and tried handed it to me. "Here."

You know that little voice that screams at you when you know someone is playing a prank on you? Yeah. It said to_ run_.

I think she noticed that I was hesitating, because she yanked off the lid and tried to throw the contents of the box towards me. I ducked just in time, and part of another white cake landed by my feet.

I jumped down the steps and landed on the path below.

"Hane, catch her!"

He shot out from the bushes, but I was ready for him and darted in the other direction. I made it a few yards before Livius stepped casually out from the shadows of the bomb shop.

"You should give in and get it over with, pourquita. We'll get you eventually."

I stepped back a little, but I knew Hane and Maya were standing a few feet away.

"Ack!" I was yanked by the arm forcefully and pulled between two of the houses.

"Shh!" Link held a finger to his lips and pulled me further behind one of the houses. Where had he come from? I held my breath and waited for the footsteps to fade into the distance.

"Are they gone?" I didn't want to move out of fear I'd get, well...caked.

He leaned out a little to check the main road. "For now, but if you don't want them to find you, we'd better move. Come on." He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the shadows.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see. Trust me, they won't find you where I'm taking you."

"Uh-oh. Should I be worried for my safety?" Link was as much as a prankster of any of them (he tied me to a chair, remember? And he didn't even seem sorry about it), but I felt safe with him. For now.

We ran up to the graveyard and sat behind the tallest tombstone, well out of view.

"This is your great hiding spot?" I let out a breath as I unfolded my legs from underneath me and sat all the way down.

"Well, I was going to take you somewhere with water, but you shouldn't get that dress wet." Link said, peering around the other side to check. "Hang on a sec. I think I heard something."

I sighed as he left to check. So this "tradition" Maya had been talking about was cake in the face? I think I'll have to ask the origins of this one later. It was bound to have some wierd story behind it, I'm sure.

"Coast is clear." Link said, peering over the top of the stone. "You think you can get up?"

"Yeah." I dusted off the skirt of my dress and stepped out.

I froze when I saw Hane, Maya, and Livius waiting, cake in hand. Ah-ha! I knew it! He was in on it! Before I could run away, they grabbed me and dumped it all over me. The cream frosting was cold as it spilled off my head. They cheered triumphantly.

"You traitor!" I cried. "I should've known that was too easy!"

"You really think I'd miss out on this?" Link dusted off his hands, obviously enjoying himself.

What'd I ever do you to you? I clenched my fists. "Yeah? Well if I'm going down I'm taking you with me!" I grabbed the platter from Maya and dumped some of the leftover cake in my hands. He obviously knew my plan because he scrambled up faster than I'd ever seen him.

I stepped forward, he took two backwards.

If he thought he was going to get out of this, he had something else coming.

"Hold him still, Ilia."

"Huh?"

He turned and I dropped some of the dessert on his head, the way he had done to me. Except I made sure it was on nice and good.

She grinned. "Nice job."

"Thanks for staying quiet." See? I told you he had something else coming.

"If you two are quite finished, we can clean up this mess."

Ilia and I looked at eached other, as comfortable with each other now as the day we'd met. Memory or no, she was having a good time and I wanted to continue it as long as possible for her.

I smiled and handed the platter to her. "Not quite..."

She flopped the platter on his head, the last of the cake spilling down all over him. "_Now _we're finished." Dusting off her hands, Ilia linked her arm in mine and we walked back towards the inn together.

Once of earshot, I whispered, "That was amazing. Thanks."

"I don't know what I did, but you're welcome." She seemed more at peace than she ever had since losing her memory. "Your friends meant well, I know, but it's always nice to have someone on your side in that kind of situation."

'Your friends'. I realized how much our roles had reversed in such a small amount of time. The thought startled me. Especially because I was destined to leave this place someday soon, while to her, this world was her home.

It wasn't fair that I knew how to bring her back, and I wasn't brave enough to do it.

"They're your friends, too. Just ask and they'll do anything for you, okay?"

"You, too?" She asked.

I choked back my emotions and forced a smile that I hoped was genuine. "Yeah...me too." Deep breaths. You've been hiding it all this time, you can still do it now. I tugged the inn's front door open and warm light spilled out into the dark. "Come on. What do you say we go claim the hot springs for you, me, and, Maya before the boys get back?"

"Sounds great! I'll go grab some towels and meet you up there!" Ilia waved and dashed up the stairs her skirt flouncing with her lively steps.

I sighed as I reached into the closet under the stairs for the soap.

There's just nothing I can do, right? Changing things around and doing them out of order would mess everything up.

...Right?

Banging my head on the closed door didn't give me an answer.

...I really am a coward.

* * *

I didn't know how I got woken up but it was still dark when I sat up in bed. I couldn't remember if or what I'd been dreaming, but I felt like something or someone had seen whatever it was I had dreamt of.

I slid out of bed quietly and slipped some soft shoes on and put my robe over my nightgown. I felt I was being silly. Someone seeing my dreams. Yeah, right. How could someone see them if I couldn't even remember them myself?

I think all this traveling back in time and such is making me paranoid.

A light was lit dimly in the kitchen as I came down the stairs. It seemed there was someone else awake besides me.

"Hello?" I said as I shuffled into the kitchen.

Link was sitting at the table, hands wrapped around a mug of tea. "Oh...Sorry. Did I wake you?"

I shook my head. "No. I just woke up and wanted some tea. You okay?" I stood on my tiptoes and reached for a mug. Darn. If only I wasn't this short. "I've only seen you awake very few times before."

I felt him come up behind me and he handed me the mug. "Nah, I'm fine. Although...have you noticed..." The swordsman grinned as I turned around and reached for the canister of tea leaves. "That when it does happen we're the only two ever up?"

There was a scuffle from inside the pantry.

"Hmm..." I mused as I measured the tea leaves, a smile spreading. "I don't know...Seems a bit strange to me, too."

"Doesn't it though?" His dark blue eyes were twinkling.

"You know what?" I turned and leaned againt the counter setting my tea down. "I think I need some sugar..."

Pots crashed and glass shattered now as something moved frantically behind the pantry door.

"I give up." Came a muffled voice. Hane opened the door, covered in what looked like cherries. "You two are good."

I snatched up my tea mug and headed for the back door. "No, Hane. You're just loud." I dropped a towel on his head. With that, I tossed a grin over my shoulder and went outside.

It was an unbelievably quiet and clear night as I walked towards the spring cavern and I was grateful for it. I knew that things in this world were far from resolved, but it was nice to have a day or two to rest.

I settled myself on the edge of the rock outcropping, just outside of the cavern and above the spring. My shoes began to slip as I dangled my legs over the edge, so I reached down to take them off and set them next to me.

"Mind if I join you?"

I looked up and saw Link leaning on the cave wall behind me, arms folded. I hadn't even heard him walk up. I hadn't been paying much attention either, really.

"Sure." I said, setting my mug down in my lap. We were silent, comfortable enough in each other's presence not to have to speak. "Do you realize..." I said, fingering the handle of my mug. "That this is the first time we've spent like this since I arrived?"

"I know." He smiled. "It's nice."

"I have to really thank you...You've made me feel really comfortable in the time I've spent here. Even though I've caused you nothing but trouble."

He laughed a little. "Don't be silly. You just happened to come at a bad time."

"You mean it's not always like this?"

"Well...Only on certain days."

"...Oh for goodness' sake." His shadow moved and formed Midna's familiar, yet distinct shape.

I sat back against the wall, calm as ever. This rest was really doing me good. I wasn't even that mad. "Nice to see you, Midna. Where have you been?"

"Hiding, of course. I can't very well come out when there's that many people around." She seemed put out by it, too.

"I knew that."

"Sure you did."

"No, really." My robe had small pockets and I'd slipped something I'd prepared earlier into one of them when I left the kitchen. "Here." I held out a small white box.

Midna looked startled that I offered something to her that wasn't an insult. "What is it?" She floated all around it, inspecting it like it was going to explode or something if she touched it.

"It's some of the cake Jillian made. It's really good."

"Well...I don't really care for sweets but I suppose it's a good enough offering." Offering? What was she, a goddess or something?

But thinking about it now, I suppose once she gets all the pieces of the helmet, she does get pretty powerful.

"Where are you going?" Link asked as she floated off.

"Oh, just somewhere else. I can't stand how well you two are getting along." She threw a look in my direction. "Especially her. It's creepy."

"Is it really that bad to offer someone cake?" I asked.

He just shrugged. "I think she's unsure of what to do when someone doesn't get mad at her. It makes me wonder what it was like where she comes from."

"Yeah, me too...I hope she'll be okay."

I hoped I hadn't made something worse by being nice to her.

...Nah.

Something wrapped tightly around my foot. In a split second, a long thin, almost invisible object shattered the cliff we were sitting on. He was able to grab hold of the edge and keep from falling in.

I, however, wasn't fast enough and was dragged underwater by whatever it was that had taken hold of my ankle.

It dragged me down to the bottom and held me there.

And I was sure it had no intent of letting me go.

* * *

Reviews would be greatly appriciated. It took me forever to write this one. ._.


	31. Putting the Pieces Together

**Author's Note:** Look, look! I got this one up a little more than a week later! :D

Haha, the next one is done, too...but I think I'll wait another week before putting it up. -evil- xD

(...Actually, the truth is I'm going camping for my birthday with friends and having two parties for my birthday when I get back. Plus my great aunt and uncle are coming. I won't have time to go through and proofread it until then. I'm not evil, I swear. D: )

**Reviews:**

**Myriads of Mysteries: **Thanks so much! I'm glad to see comments like this because I worry about how well I'm portraying both the Zelda characters and my own. It's good to hear that you think my writing works. I'm trying to update as often I can, but sometimes life gets in the way.

**AnnAisu: **Wow, I'm honored. :D I've had cake in the face for eral before, but it was all out of love. (I think. xD) Maya loves Amanda, too, and that's why she did it. As for the 3DS thing, I don't think so. The cartridges are shaped differently from DSi ones. The 3DS is getting a huge price drop, so just ask for one for Christmas. xD

**Chris Atola: **No, no. I like reviews like this, too. I'm a musician/music major in real life, so I've had to learn from early on to take criticism. It doesn't bother me in the least. Thank you. :D

**Devonlizz: **Thanks! Here's more for you!

**ChocolateMilkLOL: **It _is_ fun. As long as you can run fast enough. xD

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-One: Putting the Pieces Together**

I couldn't see anything except bubbles and the black water around me, so it made it difficult to break free from whatever had a hold on me. Actually, it made it near impossible. Something invisible slithered up my body and bound my arms to my sides.

I heard something swimming above me, but in the confusion, I couldn't tell what it was. For all I knew, it could be part of what was holding me down. My chest began to hurt from holding my breath for so long and my head began to swim. I was jerked to the side like a rag doll, causing some of the air I'd been holding in to come out. Then straight upwards towards the surface at a speed that left bruises on my sides and arms. I gasped for air and coughed as I was lifted out of the spring.

I caught a glimpse of Link as he clung to the debris. "Amanda!"

"Look out!" I almost hurt for him as he was slammed into the side of the cliff and pinned in place.

He didn't stay there for long, though. He was able to pull himself out of the thing's grip and use a sharp branch he'd yanked from the floating debris to slice a chunk of it clean off. A blood curtling shriek sent millions of bubbles through the water and shivers down my spine.

I wasn't ready for whatever it was (although I was pretty confidant by now that it was a monster) to start throwing me around. I held in a yelp as it threw me against the rock and held me there much as it had Link a few moments ago.

Wait, where did he go?

As if to answer my question, he shot up from underneath the water and attempted to slice off more of what was wrapped around me. An invisible arm shot out from under him at blinding speed. He wasn't prepared for it and cried out in pain when it slammed him into a set of jagged rocks.

I struggled to get loose, but the grip the monster had on me just got tighter. Link looked to be in immense pain, but it didn't seem completely physical.

Something else was hurting him. Did he see something that I didn't?...

_Amanda..._

The Princess' voice. I closed my eyes to try block out the noise around me so I could hear her better. For some reason, she spoke quietly.

_Remember, you have my some of my power. You can use it to dispel this creature's spell._

She didn't say any thing else, so I opened my eyes. It would be nice if I had some instruction booklet to how her power worked, but I guess I was going to have to wing it this time. If the Ice Rod functioned by picturing something, maybe that would work in this situation, too?

Let's see, a picture...picture...

...

Nothing.

I couldn't think of anything that would help. I didn't see anything special.

Closing my eyes and trying not to think didn't change the situation.

The monster had wound it's invisable arm around Link's body and he couldn't move. If I didn't do something quick, it would drag him underwater. And no Zora tunic meant bad things. A whistle reverberated through the cavern and I looked up.

Midna hovered in the cliff opening where we'd fallen, with a few large objects in hand.

What the? Where had she come from?

"Here, catch!" She tossed me my Ice Rod and carefully lowered him his sword.

I was able to forcefully slip an arm out to catch it. Okay, now I _know_ how to use this. I closed my eyes again. A few seconds later, I threw an ice shot that paralyzed the thing holding Link down. He seemed to shake off what was bothering him and broke his arm free, using his sword to shatter the long, clear...tentacle?

Uh-oh. I've seen this before.

I heard a noise and I was yanked back into the black water. Being unprepared for it as I was meant I wasn't able to take a breath. My chest already hurt. Despite the pain, I resisted breathing in water.

I knew it was Link who reached for me within a minute and sliced me free. I used what strength I had to help him propel us back to the surface.

"Quick." He coughed and shoved me to the side. "Get out of the water."

I did as I was told. I didn't have the strength to take another dunking. The rocky edge of the deep pool helped me to pull myself over the waterfall and into shallow water.

I layed there, unable and unwilling to move and Link resurfaced a few seconds later. He didn't speak, didn't look at me as he pulled himself out of the water and fell to the ground next to me, breathing hard. I don't know whether it was from being completely soaked through and cold or something else entirely, but he was so very obviously a wreck.

"It's...gone...for now." Link reached over to pull me to him. "Did it hurt you?"

I shook my head. "A few bruises, but they'll heal in no time."

"You two sure have a knack for drawing trouble." Midna floated down to our level and propped her chin on her hands. "Though I don't know if I should be surprised or not."

And I didn't know whether to be insulted or not.

"Come on." He said, ignoring her last comment and pulling himself up. "You should get dried off. Can you stand?"

I nodded, but accepted his hand anyway. It was amazing how much strength he still had after a fight like that. Even without my help, he nearly pulled me off my feet again. It was hard not to notice the definition of his muscles through his wet clothes.

Now isn't the time to be admiring things like that, Amanda. Shame on you.

I felt pretty self-concious walking back because my nightgown was clinging to my skin and it was white. My arms remained crossed the entire time.

Everything was silent when we came back in through the rear door. Hane must've gone back to bed. All the mugs were neatly back on the shelf and the broken jar had been cleaned.

Oh crap. I just realized...I lost my mug in the spring when that thing attacked.

Was it logical to be more afraid of Jillian than a monster?

"Wait here."

Link vanished into the other room and came back with several towels for both of us. We placed our shoes outside to dry and cleaned up the mud we'd tracked in before sitting down to try and dry ourselves off. I could see his arms were torn up pretty badly, but most of it had semi-healed because of the spring water.

"You're bleeding a little. Here." I reached over and tried to clean a spot that was still red.

The swordsman yanked his arm back. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

I was taken aback. His attitude had just done a complete 180. Was he angry? No...it wasn't that. At least not completely.

"I'm going to go to bed." He tossed his towels in the wash basket. He attempted a smile, but I didn't believe it. I don't think he did, either. "You should, too."

"I will. As soon as I'm done here."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

I waited until Link left and I could hear his footsteps going up the stairs to let out a sigh. I had hoped today would be worry-free for not just me, but him. His stress levels had been through the roof. But it didn't end that way. Could it be I was being watched after all? Midna was right. Trouble did seem to follow me everywhere.

All that aside, Princess Zelda...something sounded wierd with her. Her voice was weaker than normal. The twilight must've started taking a toll on her.

Ugh. For some reason, I felt like I was running out of time. Time for what, though..?

That I didn't know.

But something big was going to happen. And tomorrow I would get to the bottom of it.

* * *

_...It was so hot. The sun scorched my skin, leaving burns in mere minutes._

_A desert landscape spread into the distance, seemingly endless. There was nothing but sand everywhere and not a drop of water in sight. I could see the location of each monster, plain as day. It was like a marker for avoiding the dangers and traps._

_"Hurry..."_

_Speaking of traps, I could see them, marked on pieces of stone jutting out of the ground. Strange carvings were etched into parts of them._

_"Hurry. Wake-"_

"-up!"

I sat up in bed, wide awake, unsure if the voice was coming from my dream or reality. I'd been tossing and turning all night long, so it seemed like only seconds had passed. Lately my dreams had been nothing but images of what had been and things that hadn't happened yet. I'd almost call them nightmares. Sleep had been my only escape, and now it too was haunting me.

Maybe a quick horseback ride would do me some good. I needed some fresh air. The village itself was starting to make me feel claustrophobic.

I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could. My white and gold tunic dress had been cleaned and hung neatly in the wardrobe. It smelled of the flowery soap Jillian always used for laundry. Quickly dressing, I grabbed my bag that contained the headpiece and my haliberd and went downstairs.

The dawn's light seeped in through the closed drapes, and the only other light came from the dying embers in the kitchen fireplace. When I tried the back door, my suspicions were confirmed.

The barn door was wide open and the sounds of a horse caused me to walk a little faster.

As soon as my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I spotted Link in his horse's stall. Epona looked to have been fully brushed, fed, and was in the process of being saddled. It was also his horse who noticed me first. She'd become comfortable with me and I adored Epona. She was a sweet and beautiful horse.

"What are you doing awake?" Link didn't seem too happy to see me.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder before I could answer. It was Midna.

"I woke her up." She said, using my shoulder as a perch. "You shouldn't go alone."

So I hadn't been dreaming. "I knew something had been bothering you. Why didn't you say something?" I asked gently.

"I can't drag you into this." There was confusion in his dark blue eyes. They reminded me of the terrible storm that had ravaged the village not so long ago.

Come to think of it, all of the wierd behavior from him started when the temple became the next destination. Whatever it was that was bothering him, it was connected to the temple.

Midna seemed to have come to the same understanding.

He looked like he hadn't slept at all. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the truth, but any suggestions I made that involved staying back and resting would be shot down, I knew. He was determined to get there. Going with him seemed like the easiest way to get to the bottom of all this. And yes, I was honestly, truly worried about him, too.

Zale whinnied and nudged me, eager to get out for a run. "Okay, boy. I hear you." I pulled the stall door open and reached for the tools I needed. I was going whether he liked it or not.

His boots were quiet on the barn floor and I didn't notice he was behind me until he put his hand on mine to stop me. "You'll ride with me. It won't take long to get there and the trail down to the lake is steep."

There was a trail? The things you learn on a daily basis here... "O-okay."

He went back to tending to Epona and Midna floated over into the stall I was in. She lowered her voice as she said, "Try to lighten the mood a little. I know something is wrong, but things will just get worse if he's this tense. He didn't sleep all night."

"Aw, Midna...I didn't know you cared." I grinned.

She blinked and slowly shook her head. "I...I don't. But if he screws up, I won't get my last Fused Shadow. That's all I meant." The twilight shadow crossed her arms and floated out of the stall.

I stood up and brushed some hay off my white dress before reaching in my pouch to grab an apple. "Sorry, boy..." I whispered, offering the treat as a piece offering. "Looks like you'll have to stay behind this time." Zale snorted and shook his head, but quickly gobbled up the fruit and nudged me for more. "Hey! One treat is enough for now!" I laughed and exited the stall before he could lean forward and take a nibble out of my clothes.

Link stepped out to put his tools away and I quickly reached back in my pouch and gave Epona an apple, too. She whinnied softly and seemed happy. I couldn't have left her out if I wanted to. I'm a sucker for these beautiful animals. I can't help but love and spoil them when I'm around.

"You ready to go?" Link asked.

"Yeah." I stepped back as he led Epona out, then shut and latched the door. Giving Zale one last pat, I followed them outside.

Brr, it was cold. I shivered and rubbed my arms. I hadn't noticed before, but there was a slight fog hanging in the air this morning. I couldn't see the top of the mountain anymore when I looked up.

Link backed Epona up to a good place where I could get a foothold. "You'll sit in front this time." He said, keeping a tight hold on the reins as his horse danced in place.

I didn't know how to feel about that idea (it certainly made me uncomfortable), but I did as I was told for fear he'd leave me behind. He climbed on behind me and reached around to grab hold of the reins again. I shivered again, but it wasn't from the cold this time.

"Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but you'll be warm this way." I felt his warm breath on my ear. "You were shivering."

"N-no. I'm fine like this." I tried not to shiver again. "...Thanks."

"Hang on." I clung to the saddlehorn as he nudged Epona into a trot. He tightened his arms around me to keep me from moving.

The short trip to the lake was going to feel like a very _long_ distance to me.

How was I supposed to cheer him up and help him when I was noticing things I shouldn't?

* * *

It turns out he was right. The trip didn't take long at all once I focused on just hanging on and nothing else. We were in the temple before I knew it.

"Whoa..." Link was in awe of the large, open central room. I suppose the difference between the old Water Temple and new, larger Lakebed Temple was a bit shocking. The smell of standing lakewater was overwhelming, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least.

"Kind of incredible, isn't it?" I traced the carvings on the pillar next to me. It seemed to be some language, but most of it was worn away and unreadable. "The chandalier makes this place look like a palace."

He looked above him and I saw his eyes widen a bit. I held back a giggle. He was so cute.

Midna slowly came out of the shadows. She seemed to be impressed, too. "So, can you remember this place from last time?" She managed to tear her gaze away from the crystal and gold to look at me. "We need to find the key that unlocks the central pillar down there. I can sense the last piece down at the bottom of it."

"Yes, I remember, although a few of the passageways have collapsed." I tried to picture them in my head as best I could. "But I don't think there should be a problem. Those rooms were a dead end and I didn't see a key."

I wonder...did I visit the room with the key last time? I think it was directly below us, but I couldn't be sure.

"I think it would be best to follow the water flow if you're unsure." Link folded an old faded paper that looked like a map. Probably something he collected from the Water Temple.

Even though I was leading them, the swordsman still stayed close to me and walked a little ahead. The incident last night seemed to have left him more nervous than before. It just wasn't like him, and it left me unsettled.

What was it about this place that he hated?

Despite my mind being elsewhere, I managed to remember to swing the staircase and change the flow of the water before leaving the room.

It was a slow trek from the central room through the ones that followed. Not that I didn't remember how and where to go. No, I knew exactly where I needed to go now. And Link made quick work of any monsters that got in our way.

The problem was that he treated me like I was fragile. And he never had before.

I tried to slide under the waterwheel in the passageway beyond the main room. He suddenly grabbed me and slid us both under and out the other side, whipping his sword out as he sprang back up to his feet.

Those poor bats didn't have a chance.

And bombing or breaking things? Forget it. He took care of that, too. Although it was pretty neat to see him use those bomb arrows.

He even grabbed the key before I could point it out.

"There." Link pulled himself out of the water next to where I had been ordered to sit and wait. He grinned now and stuffed it in his back pouch. "Piece of cake."

"Great." Hmm. Time to test a theory out. "Man, my feet are sore. I think I'll soak them for a minute before we move on." I shifted my weight and put them in the cool water. Actually, it did feel pretty good. This water was crystal clear and clean.

He wasn't even phased as he replied, "I wouldn't do that. There's fish in there that will bite your feet off if given the chance."

I quickly pulled them back out. "They're in here, too?" I squeaked, not seeing any, but freaked out nonetheless.

"Okay, what's bothering you?" Link asked.

Letting out a sigh of relief now that my feet were safe, I shot a glance in his direction. "I should be asking you that question."

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting overly jumpy and nervous ever since last night. Actually, scratch that. This has been going on longer than just last night."

I knew he knew exactly what I was talking about, but somehow at the same time he dodged the question. "I'm just ready to be done with this place. It gives me the creeps." He stretched and walked towards the door. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time already."

"Uh, I think you're forgetting something." I got to my feet and followed him out.

This next part would be fun.

* * *

"You've never been on a water slide?" I asked, staring down from the top of the large slide. While I wasn't exactly surprised, it was still a shame. Some of my best memories are from spending summer days at the water park. I grinned. "Watch and learn."

I shivered from the shock of the cold water as I sat down. The floor undearneath was smooth, so I gave myself a light shove before laying flat and crossing my arms. The sound of rushing water was thrilling and at the speed I was going, it wouldn't take long to reach the bottom.

The end came before I was ready and I got a mouth full of lakewater. I resurfaced and swam to the edge of the pool before I waved up at Link.

"Come on! It's fun!"

"Betcha I can beat that!" He called back. I saw him as he swung down onto the slide, but he soon disappeared into the water spray.

He shot out at the bottom a few seconds later, creating a wave as he plunged into the pool.

I jumped back a few feet to avoid it, but it reached farther than I'd calculated and I got soaked all over again. "Hey! Watch it!"

"You asked for it." Link swam over to the platform in the center of the room and jumped onto the golden handle. With ease, he brought it down and dove gracefully back into the water. The door slid up and the flow redirected out towards the main room.

"Show off." I muttered as he climbed out of the pool.

"Says the one who was showing off her climbing skills earlier."

"I beat you up the wall though, didn't I?"

"Only because you saw a spider."

"Well yeah, but..." Yes, I'm afraid of spiders. So what? They're creepy little things.

Midna appeared with a huff. "Come on, focus. That last shadow is so close, I can feel it. We've got the water raised enough and we've got the key."

We'd done things a bit out of order, but nothing major had happened so I didn't see the point in worrying about it. I was honestly shocked when he just climbed the cliffs and gates instead of using switches to open them.

Link had seemed pretty pleased that we had gotten the key so quickly, until I reminded him he'd left the water level out of the picture.

Heh. You should've seen his face.

Which brings us to where we are now. We made our way out of the slide room and back down the now spinning cogs. I carefully climbed down after him and followed just as close behind once back down on the ground. The central room was a just short distance after that and we made it back in record time.

Midna peered over the edge. "Looks like you can reach that central room now." She came back over and patted my head. "Not bad."

"I'm impressed, too. You remembered the layout almost better than the map." Link tucked it back into his pouch after looking it over one last time.

If only you knew. "Let's just hurry and get across that pool. There's more of _those_ things in there." By 'those things', I mean the creepy flesh-eating fish. You don't even want to know what they look like. Just lots and lots of sharp teeth is all I'm going to say.

We climbed down together and I made an ice bridge with my rod so we could keep out of the water. He pulled out the big key and used it to unlock the giant chains that were holding the door shut. It rolled open by itself, and slammed shut after we walked in.

"I'm going to have to pull you down with me. You're too light without any boots like this." He watched me as I quickly pulled back my hair. "Are you going to be okay?"

My nerves must've showed, and I could tell my hands were shaking. I couldn't tell him that I was terrified of being underwater for that long, despite having the Zora headpiece. We'd discussed it earlier and decided he needed my Ice Rod. I was the only one who knew how to use it.

I would just have to swallow my fears. He hadn't complained about anything thus far, so neither would I. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"I won't let it hurt you. Just trust me, okay?" He offered me his hand. "Ready?"

I slipped my hand into his slowly. "Yeah."

He pulled my body extremely close to his, a move I was completely unready for. The only other time I'd been this close was on horseback, and I was just holding on. Why did being so close to him always make me so uncomfortable?

We jumped into the water, his grip tight on me as we sank down. I was thankful I'd french-braided my hair beforehand. It would have been going wild by now. Not like I could really see anything. The circlet helped me to breathe underwater with no problems, but I couldn't help but feel claustrophobic. The long, dark tunnel ended and opened into a large open area with some light. Sand slowly floated up as we landed on the ground.

He kept his grip on me when he saw a tenticle sticking out of the middle of the sand. I'd known it was there, but it still freaked me out a bit. A ball slowly made it's way up and I saw it was an eyeball. Completely yellow and red and staring straight at us.

The ground shook and he grabbed my waist tighter and propelled us behind the pillars that surrounded the circular pit. The tentacles shot out of the ground and flailed around, knocking at least one or two of those pillars down. Did I mention at the center of those tenticles was two sets of teeth?

Of course, this didn't deter him in the least. He pulled out the clawshot and aimed for the eyeball, but with no luck.

That meant it was my turn.

I pulled out the Ice Rod and charged up a few shots. It wore me down more than usual, but I had more chances in case I missed. My feet wouldn't stay on the ground, and I shot back a little when I aimed the ice.

Lucky for both of us, it pinned the correct tenticle. The monster thrashed around, trying to get free as he aimed the clawshot and pulled out the eyeball. The water didn't deter him as he pulled his sword out and sliced at it in half with all the strength he could.

The tenticles stopped moving and flittered to the ground. I only saw now that several of them had been cut off. I guess my suspicions were correct in assuming that it was our attacker the other night.

Still, that was a little too easy.

...Wasn't there something else this thing could do?

I looked around for any clue to help me remember. Why of all times am I forgetting something this important?

The sand moved around under his feet, but I didn't think he noticed. Being in the water made it more difficult to notice small movements like that.

Wait a minute...

Crap, _now_ I remember!

I swam over to the nearest pillar and used it to pull myself upwards so I could stand on top of it. It hadn't even been a millisecond that I'd reached the top before the ground exploded and sand went everywhere, creating a cloud that I couldn't see through.

Something huge was swimming around down there, and I knew it was angry. It shot up out of the sand cloud, with something else in tow. He was hanging onto it's back for dear life, riding the thing like it was a wild goat. I guess all that experiance working on the ranch came in handy.

It was almost as long as the entire room, and disgustingly ugly. Copper-red splashes of color that looked like blood patterned the sickly green-gray scales. The tenticles that weren't cut off crackled with electricity, and more yellow eyes covered the back of the giant fish.

He grimaced as the tenticles waved around him, dangerously close to his head. He'd lodged the clawshot into the back of the creature's head, but he was slipping off. If he slipped, he'd be electrocuted.

I readied and launched a shot of ice at a few of the tenticles. I knew very well he couldn't pull out his sword, so I used my other arm to shoot with the hyperwing. A few of the shots missed completely, but the last two didn't and off came another tenticle.

He used this to his advantage and let go of the giant fish's back as soon as it was clear. He quickly shot the clawshot near the eyeball and it lodged deep in the skin, making the monster buck like those a wild horse.

In went his sword. Once, twice, three times.

The creature gave a loud roar and threw him off. It flew upwards and knocked against the pillar I'd been standing on, breaking it with it's weight. I wobbled and fell off as the giant fish crashed into the wall underneath me, cracking it. The water was coming down, draining the room completely. I breathed a sigh of relief when I landed on my feet underneath the broken pillar.

"Amanda? Where are you?" I could hear him calling for me, but I couldn't see him.

"I'm back here!" My voice echoed in the empty cavern and I shivered. It was cold.

He appeared from around the other side, as drenched as I was. Now that the water was down, he'd taken off the heavy cap that went with the Zora tunic and his blond hair had gone every which way.

Only when he got closer did I notice a few burns on his cheek. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just glad that's over."

"You and me both." He seemed to be less tense now. Hopefully the curse this temple had on him was over.

I wrung the water out of my clothing. I was sopping wet from head to toe, my hair would probably frizz when it dried, but I'd never been more relieved. Midna was finally getting her last fused shadow, and maybe I could finally go home. Maybe. Preferably before things get worse.

As soon as I had that thought, I felt guilty. And selfish.

The giant fish grew darker and shrunk down into bits of dark twilight magic that hovered in the air. They shrunk down and reformed into a large chunk of something I could only assume was part of the power Midna was after.

"I'll take that, thanks." She said, jumping out and using her wierd magic to take the last fused shadow. "Now don't you resent me for all I've put you through..." Midna quickly added when she saw the both of us giving her a look. "I really need this thing!"

"Sure, you do." I said, wringing the water out of my hair now. "How exactly do these things help you, anyway?"

"They'll prove Zant's power to be false. And then that should be the end of that." Midna seemed a little too confidant for her own good, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything about it.

"Can this power really defeat Zant?" Link had a hopeful look on his face, which made it all the harder that I knew things wouldn't be so easy.

"Like I said, Zant's power is false, and the power of the fused shadows is ancient and powerful magic. It will defeat him." The twilight shadow had the most determined look in her eyes that I'd ever seen. She'd never seemed like she cared much what we did before this, as long as she got the fused shadows, but she was serious about this.

His fist was clenched as firmly as his determination, "We'll end this! I swear it!"

"Count me in, too." I added. "I know what it's like to miss your home and want it back."

For a second, it looked like Midna might snap at me or something, but she just offered the same look. "You're not so bad, you know that?" She floated over and tapped me on the head. "But this doesn't mean I like you or something."

"Of course not." I bit my lip to keep from smiling. He looked like he was doing the same.

Maybe we could actually get along after all.

"Shall we go, then?" She asked, using her magic to create a portal.

With a twirl of her hand and a short portal ride, we were inside the Spirit's Spring. The sickness I'd felt a few times before washed over me. Nope. I still wasn't used to it.

It made me dizzy, and I reached out to steady myself against something.

I reached up to Link's shoulder and noticed he'd... grown? He was taller than before. Maybe I was imagining things. My hand traveled up higher, as high as it could touched metal and I knew... knew something wasn't right. Something grabbed me by the wrist; something scaly and cold. I couldn't run, couldn't scream. Not even a second passed before something else, something sharp and equally cold, was thrust against my neck.

"So, this is the company our young Midna is keeping these days?" His breath, oh God... it sent disgusted shivers straight down my spine.  
Zant.

Deep down, I knew I could've...I should've fought back, but I was paralyzed. Somehow right in this moment, Ganondorf didn't seem as terrifying. At least he was human. But other than Midna, I'd never seen other twilight creatures.

Up close, Zant's skin was almost like a snake's; smooth and a little scaly, and his touch was deathly cold. I wanted more than anything to be away from it. Far, far away.

"Zant! Let her go!" Link's hand twitched, anxious to grasp for his sword, but I knew as well as he did Zant's blade would only grow closer to my throat.

My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it through my whole body. If this was the time to ask for help, it was now. But... My mind played back this whole scene from the game. Midna would get hurt. Link might get hurt.

As much as I'd hated to admit it, I'd become close. To both of them.

"Link...get out of here. Take Midna and go. Now." I managed to choke out, feeling the blade's sharp edge grown closer now. "I won't forgive you if you don't." I saw his blue eyes questioning me and it was as good as asking if I was nuts. I probably was.

I felt it glide across my skin and my breath was stuck indefinitely in my chest. With grace and speed, Zant moved from one target to the next: Midna. I knew this was coming. I knew he couldn't resist, and I wanted so badly to stop him, but nothing could pass my lips.

Lanayru sprouted from the waters with a violent splash and rushed Zant in time with Link, but both were tossed aside like rag dolls and sent crashing into either side of the cavern's walls. All the while, I knew Midna was stuck where she was, much as I was. I wanted so badly to stop all of this, but instead I was forced to witness it firsthand.

"Pathetic."

"Zant!" Midna cried and struggled to no avail and the Fused Shadow pieces we bled for were taken.

He examined them with disgust and contempt. "Did you honestly mean to take an ancient and withered power like this and turn it against me? You are a foolish traitor, Midna. Why do you defy your king?"

My king?" Midna spat, disgusted. "You, who do nothing but abuse the magic of your tribe? You must be joking!"

"How dare you? Are you implying that my power is... our old magic?" The viper lashed out and slammed Midna to the ground without so much as moving, "Now THAT is a joke!"

A fiery, red orb emerged from his chest and it was clear he was far from finished. His words were filled with venom and anger, "This power is granted to me by my god! It is the magic of the King of Twilight, and you WILL respect it!"

Midna was helpless, incapable of dodging Zant's attack. I wanted to close my eyes, to blind myself to what was next... and then... as was always the case, Link leapt forth in the nick of time. His teeth were now fangs and those fangs tried to consume the orb. It shot him back down onto the ground before it dissipated. I couldn't see him very well, especially not with Midna kneeling beside him, but he was alive. Of that I was sure.

She was yanked away from him by an unearthly force and pulled to Zant's side like a child grasping for a stuffed bear. Though a whisper, his words echoed on the cavern's walls.

"My Midna... Did you forget? That beast is one of the light dwellers who oppressed our people. That girl, too." I was taken aback, "No matter how much you may desire otherwise, you will never be more than a shadow in their world. You cannot consort with their kind!" He carried on, ranting, scheming, "But if we can make their world ours, Midna... light and darkness will meet at last. Our tribe will take back their realm... and sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light! And that, Midna, is why..."

A portion of his mask was sucked up like a tongue and revealed a pale chin and purple lips that hid teeth like pencils. I could only imagine how horrible it must have been, being so close as he whispered, "I need you."

My limbs still felt heavy and it felt like I was floating between a dream and reality. Like I was half-asleep. I couldn't tell what was going on anymore. Something burst forth from the water and filled the twilight cavern with light.

I heard Midna scream, then there was nothing.

* * *

Hee...It's getting to the good stuff, now. Sorry if this chapter jumps around too much. Exhausted. x.x Also, some things were purposely left unexplained for now, so no worries. You'll see why later.

Review? D:


	32. The Truth

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I found extra time to edit. Yay. :x

To MissLozSoue39: Thanks! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Two: The Truth**

There's no more twilight. No more Zant.

Just the dark night and clouds of a coming storm. And all three of us outside castle town. Midna dying, Link possibly injured. I'm just fine, if a little shaken. I pushed myself up from the ground, still feeling a little weighted down and sat back on my heels.

I couldn't change a thing. Maybe I wasn't meant to change things that much, but it didn't stop me from hurting because I couldn't.

"Link...Midna...I'm sorry." I whispered. "I could've...should've done something to help..."

"Don't... worry about that now..." Midna could barely breathe. Her words were hoarse, and her face was twisted in agony. Before she fell unconcscious, she managed to gasp out, "Castle... tell Link... Zel ..."

"Midna!" Panicked, I knelt down beside the unconscious wolf and shook him. "Link, get up! Now!"

He shivered and struggled, as if trapped in a nightmare. A single drop of rain splashed against his fur and his eyes suddenly shot open. It was only the first of many raindrops and soon we were soaking wet. Link shot up and took immediate notice of Midna as she lay shaking on his back, as well as the form he was currently in.

I knew the look he gave me was as good if he was really asking me what happened.

There were no doubts in my mind. If there was a good time to use my knowledge of this game, it was now. They can ask all the questions they want later.

"Just...come with me, okay? There's someone who can help Midna...and you." I stood, sinking a little into the mud. Thunder and lightning echoed in the distance. "But we have to hurry, or it'll be too late. I'm not sure how long Telma's bar will be open."

I ran ahead, not knowing whether he was following or not. When I paused to look over my shoulder, I saw Link padding quietly behind, Midna still unconscious on his back. It looked like he was going to trust me. For now, anyway.

I shoved down any sickness I felt at the enormity of what I was revealing to him and continued on.

We entered town through the west gate, and I quickly led the way through the back alleys to the east side of town. The streets were eerily empty and quiet, save for the stray cats and dogs. I ignored all of them, including Louise, who was sitting outside the bar.

"Give me a minute to distract Telma." I said. "Use those crates over in the corner to get inside. There's ropes you can use to cross the room, and there should be a way into the next house, and from there you can get to the waterways that connect to the castle."

I pulled open the door to the bar, ignoring the annoyed look that Louise threw me as she ran between my feet and inside. Poor cat. She'll get over it.

There was nothing wrong with this. I was only speeding up the inevitable, wasn't I? This was the only way I could help. Still, things were different now... I didn't have long to wonder, though, as Rusl came and ruffled my hair.

"Well, now! What's young Amanda doing here in Castle Town on a rainy night like this?"

Shoot, what was _he_ doing here? I choose the worst time to forget these things. "R Rusl! I haven't seen you in a while! You look much better!"

CRASH! A pot fell from the ceiling and shattered into a hundred pieces below. Everyone's eyes seemed fixated on me as if I'd somehow caused it.

"What was that?" Rusl, wary, kept his hand tightly placed on his sword.

"R rats! It's got to be! Or maybe mice! I saw lots of those outside in the alleyways!" I forced a laugh, though inside, I was dying.

The next time he breaks a pot, I'm gonna jump up there and kill him myself.

Our eyes met and Link silently pleaded for forgiveness. It was working on me, too. Well, he was a dog, after all. They were good at making you forget what exactly you were mad at with a single stare. He can forget it if he thinks it'll work a second time, though.

Telma huffed like a bear as she cleaned out a shot glass. "These men are as good as mice. They both pay me the same for wasted whiskey."

Don't mention anything with alcohol, Telma. I'm begging you. I don't and probably won't ever drink anything with it in it, but right now it's really tempting.

I turned my attentions back to Rusl. "So, what are you doing in town? Is Uli doing okay? Is she here to see the doctor or something?"

"I've left Uli in Sara's care. I've... some business I must attend to here, I'm afraid. I only pray peaceful times are born anew before our child is due."

"I hope so, too. No child should have to live in times like this." It was terrible enough that kids like Colin and Talo had to deal with it. But this was no place for a little baby. I yawned and sunk into a chair. "I'm glad Uli is doing all right. Sara will take good care of her."

"Ah, good evening,_ pourquita_!" Livius came out from the back, heavy tray of clean shot glasses in hand. "What brings you here this late all alone?"

"You don't want to know." I mumbled, propping my chin on my hand and tracing a knot in the wood.

We carried on with light conversation for a good while as the rain kept on pouring and echoing through the bar. But my mind wasn't really on how good the ladies thought Livius looked tonight, or the Goron hijinks, or how comfy Telma's seats were. I could only trace Link's every step in my head as he struggled to reach Zelda. I only hoped I hadn't sent him unprepared.

After thinking through things a little longer, I remembered there was still one thing I needed to do. "Rusl. How long would it take to get back to Ordon from here?"

He turned to me, having previously been talking with one of the other customers, "Hmm? Why do you ask?"

"I'm supposed to meet Link there as soon as possible. He had...an errand to do before this, and I didn't want to go, so..." Well, it was half true. I didn't want things to somehow go wrong if I was there. This was the one part I needed to go right from beginning to end.

He thought for a moment and turned back to that customer. The older man was slightly balding, with the rest of his hair being a silver color. Hey, it was Auru! I kept the same patient look on my face and tried not to act as though I recognized him. A moment later and Rusl looked to me.

"As it just so happens, I'll be heading there soon! I'd love to escort you! It'll take about a day on foot."

This is where I'd usually open my mouth and say I didn't need an escort, but now was not the time to argue. I was just thankful it wouldn't take too long. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to catch up.

I jumped up and hugged him. "You're a lifesaver, Rusl, you know that?"

"Think nothing of it. It'll give me a chance to visit Uli a bit early, at any rate."

That night I stayed with Telma, and early the next morning Rusl and I set out for Ordon. The storms had passed completely though by then, leaving only traces of what had been. It was a straight shot back to the village, and we didn't have much trouble from the monsters. We got there sooner than expected, so there was still plenty of daylight left.

"Thanks for coming with me, Rusl." I said, as we finally entered the woods.

"Gladly. I enjoyed hearing of your homeland."

Well, I wasn't exactly descriptive of a lot of things, but I'd been totally honest about the people at least...

"Well, I'd better hurry." I paused at the split between the cave and the path back to Ordon. "I'm supposed to meet him in the Sacred Woods..."

"How does he..." Rusl looked baffled. "How does he know about that place? I've never spoken of it with him... There's only one way I know of that would allow a human to enter such a place."

"And...what's that?" I knew, but I was unsure if I wanted to try it or not.

He bent down, lifted a reed to his lips and called forth a _golden_ chicken, which perched on his hand. "This here is Popo. He may not look it, but he flies like a dream." It nipped at his finger! Must...not...laugh... "... He's more reliable than he seems!"

"You're...serious?..." I stifled another laugh. "What if it drops me or something?"

It leapt out of his hand and snapped at my nose. Oww! That little...!

"Why, you !" I chased after it, not caring how crazy I looked. I was going to kill that bird.

Rusl could only stare on at the spectacle; I realized a little too late that's what I must have been making by the time I had the stupid chicken by it's wings.

"N nice Popo..." I said, letting go of the chicken. "S sorry, Rusl."

"No, I apologize. He's a bit of handful." Rusl did something or other that seemed to calm Popo down and he eventually reluctantly let me hold him. I don't think either of us enjoyed the partnership, but it was what had to be done. I couldn't just rely on luck to help me jump.

"Are you sure he won't drop me at the last second or something?" I asked, stepping up onto a stump now.

"Probably not." Rusl pet Popo, to see him off I suppose, "He depends on you for his safety every bit as much. Work together and keep that pupil of mine from getting himself killed."

I grinned. "I'll try, but no guarantees. He doesn't listen to me much." With that, I took a deep breath and leapt off of the stump and into the air with Popo.

Gliding though the air actually wasn't so bad. If you didn't look down. I tried to focus on the parts of the tree stump that jutted out from the side of the tree as I went from one to the next. I breathed a sigh of relief when I reached the entrance to the cave.

I set Popo down on the ground. "Be good, now. No more biting."

I crossed the bridges slowly, as they creaked under my feet and felt like they were going to break at any moment. I wanted to kiss the ground when I made it to the other side, but I was running out of time to catch up.

I went through the next cave and rushed through the Sacred Woods as fast as I could. I'd done it so many times that it wasn't hard to find my way, and I could tell Link had already been through here. There was no Skull kid, but his little puppets were still hanging around. I took my halberd to them and broke them into little pieces, albeit a little clumsily. At least I hit them at all this time.

I was out of breath by the time I made it to the sacred grove. I knew he was already here because the giant statues stood still and I could see though the last tunnel to the open field where the sword rested.

Slipping down into the ruins, I could see more clearly now ahead of me as he pulled the sword from the pedistal. Creeping closer, I hid in the shadows as I watched. It was really the most amazing thing I'd ever seen yet here.

Yes, it's as epic as you think.

I waited until he sheathed the sword before I said anything. "I'm glad you're both all right..."

A blank stare, and then...anger? "Amanda, what are you doing here?" He looked like he was getting a headache because he rubbed at his temples before he continued with, "_How_ did you get here?"

Whoa, wait. Why is he mad at me? If anyone had a right to be angry, it was me. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? You didn't come back for me!"

"It was to protect you! Following us would only put you in more danger!" Link's eyes closed tight as he gripped his new weapon, "You saw what Zant is capable of... I'm not sure I'll even make it back to Ordon, but I want you to find your way back home. Castle Town is full of people more able than I am."

"Haven't we discussed this before? I'm not standing on the side while you go off and do something stupid that could get you killed!" Why was he bringing this up now? Did I do something to set him off? "What the hell is your problem, anyway?"

We had faced so many dangers, so many trials together that it hardly seemed fair to ask me to leave him now. I could take care of myself! Why couldn't he see that by noe?

"I don't understand you... I've known from the time I met you that you weren't like us." He was in my face now, sword sheathed. "How did you know about the castle?"

"What?..." It felt like the world was going to topple over any minute. The sickness I'd felt last night consumed me and I could feel my heart beating rapidly.

Even Midna was giving me accusing looks. "You couldn't have known about something so vague and secret unless you were royalty, or in with the locals. You're lying about something, one way or the other."

"And here, too..." Link only added fuel to the fire. "You shouldn't have known about this place. Zelda told us to come here before the castle was sealed. How did you know?"

"I..." For once I didn't know what to say. Endless possiblities of what might happen once I revealed everything flashed through my head. They were so vivid, I felt like I could see them playing out right in front of me. His death was the only thing I could picture, so I swallowed and said, "It's none of your business how I know."

I spun on my heel and turned to leave. I _needed _to get out of here. I felt like I would suffocate if I didn't.

He called to me, but I was deaf. "You being here automatically made it my business!"

I froze in my tracks. What the? I may have just denied him information, but who did he think he was? The king? I think all this hero stuff has gone to his head.

"Excuse me?" I turned around and scowled darkly at him. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

He placed his hand on my shoulder and just stared for a bit. I wanted to shove his hand aside and punch him, but he moved before I did. He pushed me aside and walked off down the steps towards the statues.

I couldn't believe it. He was ignoring me _and _walking away. Well guess what? I'm not letting him. Not this time. I followed him down the steps and cut him off. "I asked you a question. Are you deaf?"

"What point is there in talking with someone that won't listen?"

Now I was angry. "I believe _you're_ the one that just shoved me aside and started walking away."

"Are _you_ deaf? Give me one good reason why I should trust you now when you've already lied to me? What possible reason could you have to keep things from me?"

What was I supposed to say to that? This is all just a game and you're not really real so I didn't see any real point in changing things? Yeah, right. I didn't really think that way anymore, nor would I mean it if those words were said.

"I don't have any time to waste on you, so answer my question." His words were tinged with annoyance.

Waste?...I was a waste of his time?

In my hurt and frustration, something else slipped out. Something even worse that should've never passed my lips because it couldn't be taken back.

"...It's not like you trusted me in the first place, anyway."

_**SLAP! **_

My face stung. She...she slapped me! Midna shot me a glare and then whipped her head back and smacked Link across the face with her hair. I wanted to punch her right between her beady little eyes.

"Would you two idiots cut it out? This isn't the time for your ridiculous teenaged angst!"

"You stay out of this Midna." I said shooting back a glare in her direction.

Midna's hair took the form of a hand and grabbed both of us and sat us down on a stump in front of her. She looked furious now, but so was I.

"If either of you had any kind of foresight, you would know the state Zelda is in right now! Do you have any idea how selfish the both of you are being?"

"I already know the state she's in, Midna." I snapped. "I don't need you to tell me."

Oh great. I was only digging a deeper hole for myself. Link shot up off of the stump and looked a mix of disgusted and hurt. His fists were clenched.

"That, too? What else do you know? Do you know the moment I die?"

Now it was my turn to shoot up off the stump. "Maybe. Want me to speed that up for you?"

I could see the look on his face that was just daring me to try it. He'd probably have the upper hand though, so I wasn't going to bother. I just let out a breath and rubbed at my temples. "God, how did this get so out of hand?..."

I felt like I was standing at a dead end. If I told him, he might be in danger. But if I didn't...he might truly hate me. And I couldn't deal with that. Losing his friendship felt like it would be worse than any scenario I could dream up.

I knew I would cry if I spoke, but I needed to do it, so I choked back a painful breath before saying anything. "This place...isn't supposed to be real. This place was a fairytale my father told me when I was young." My dad would play the games with me when I was little and act out the monsters and characters with different voices while we played. It was a nice memory I had of him. "They were always my favorite stories, so I heard them often and memorized them."

He looked a little less angry, or maybe it was just wishful thinking. But he was definately listening to me.

"But now...Everything is different. So many things have gone wrong." I couldn't look at him. Or Midna. "And I'm probably the cause of that. I wasn't supposed to be here. But don't worry. I'm going to find a way home by myself. And not come back." I turned and walked past both of them, still not looking them in the eyes, stopping for a moment to whisper, "I'm...sorry. ...I...never meant to hurt either of you."

Link held his hand out as if he wanted to stop me, and I saw, but I didn't stop and he didn't speak.

It would have been the end of everything if Midna hadn't jumped out in front of me.

She shook her hands and had a sickeningly pleasant smile, "Let's not be so hasty, now, Amanda!"

I realized that that was the first time she'd called me by my name. "Get out of my way, Midna. I've had enough. I'm tired and I just want to go home."

She just cackled at me and soon I realized what she already knew. Where would I go? I didn't even know where home was.

"Just...I..." I'd run out of things to say. She was right. I didn't know how to get home. I didn't even know where to start. "What do you want from me, Midna?" I said, finally.

"Help us, that's all. Simple, huh?" She twirled in the air and sat in her invisible hammock, "We could use your knowledge, and who better to help you than the Hero?"

"I don't think that's a very good idea." Really. He probably couldn't stand me.

"Maybe this is all just a bad dream..." Link stood in front of me as a person, straight down to the pores on his face and the scars that littered his body. "But then again, maybe that's all you are. I don't care and I don't need your help. I'll help you find your way home, that's all."

"I don't want your help. I never asked for it in the first place and I certainly don't want it or need it now." I stepped a bit closer now, and though I was much shorter than him, I held my ground. "But if you think I never cared and won't care what happens to you, then you're a fool."

"I never..."

Link didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. The sky darkened, the ground shook, and a black hole opened up in the sky. Odd blue markings decorated it, but they quickly turned red. Black, jagged stones glowed with the same red, creating a force field as five Twilit Messengers rained down, making the ground shake with each landing.

If that was all, then it might've been simple. But the portal in the sky was still glowing a nasty red color as Keese descended down in sea of black, covering the top part of the area and making it even darker.

"Stand back!" He pulled out his sword.

Midna tried to pull me back before the arena closed in over us, but I jerked from her grasp and ran back to his side. He wasn't going to brush me off so easily.

I took out my halberd and sliced through a couple of bats that were about to hit him from behind. "Stupid! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

He shot me a glance before charging at the closest Twili and ending its breath in a single stab to the throat, then another, til only two were left. My halberd was proving to be a good hammer as I swung and knocked a swell of bats to the ground with the broad end of its axe head.

As I finished them off, I turned to see Link as he unleashed his trademark spinning attack. It struck the two lumbering beasts in a fraction of a second and ended both their lives before they could call out to the others.

I watched as he did that cool sword trick and sheathed it. Show off. From a distance, I inspected the area. Well okay, I inspected Link. Even with all that had just taken place, I was still worried.

I scooted a little closer when I noticed a rip in his sleeve. Probably from one of the Twilit Messengers. I'd had the Keese totally covered. Sorta. "You're hurt."

Link turned his heel sharp in my direction, "That. That's what I'm talking about. You don't listen to a word I say, and it pisses me off."

"Good. I'm glad it pisses you off. There needs to be at least one person who doesn't follow you at your every word."

"I say what I do because I care about your safety!"

"Really? Since when? Since it makes you look better? Or are you just biding your time until you find a way to get rid of me?" I winced inwardly when after I said it. I needed to be by myself for a while or I was just going to keep saying things I didn't mean.

A whistle broke us apart from our fighting and placed our attention squarely on Midna. She seemed as sick of all this fighting as I was.

"If you two would kindly shut up, we have a way out of this smelly forest now!" She probably wanted us to start searching for our next clue in order to save Zelda, but the fight between us was far from over. There were more important things, and the both of us knew that.

It was selfish of me to want anything different. I'd changed things enough.

But deep down, I did.

* * *

Review? :3


	33. The Third One

**Author's Note: **It's hot. So hot out. I love August, but really. This is ridiculous. It's probably where the inspiration for this chapter came from. It's pretty short compared to my recent ones, though, so sorry 'bout that. xwx

**Reviews:**

**LadyxHydrangea: **I wish they could be, too, but it's not that easy. Lies have consequences, which Amanda will have to find out for herself. Unfortunately. :( Lying is never good, even if you have the best of intentions.

**Devonlizz: **It's certainly going to be fun writing these next chapters because of what's happened. Hope you'll keep reading!

**ChocolateMilkLOL: **Ooh, a cottage. Sounds like fun. :D Thanks, and glad you liked it.

**MissLozSoue39: **I update as often as I can. I hope you'll be patient with me. :)

**LinkxZeldaOrMarin: **Eh, personally I think SS should stay on the Wii. I enjoyed the DS Zelda games, but the console ones are the ones I really get excited for because they can do a lot more with it. I want MM on the 3DS, though. That'd be awesome. D:

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Three: The Third One**

I rubbed at my eyes for the millionth time that night. It was late and I was tired, but I couldn't go to bed yet. Somehow, Midna had talked me into making a map of where she and Link should go next. The problem was, I only remembered bits and pieces of the layout of the Desert Colossus. And there might be traps that I didn't know about.

"Let's see..." I stuck the pen in my mouth and held up what I'd drawn out so far.

The first several rooms on the first floor I remembered, and I'd sketched out a few symbols along with the rooms that might've been important. I'd started to draw the shapes of a few more rooms, but I didn't completely fill them in yet. I needed to see them to be able to do that.

I sighed and set it back down on the table. As much as I wanted to, this wasn't going to get done tonight. I couldn't think straight, not with what had happened earlier.

Link and I had come out of the forest pretty quickly thanks to Midna's magic, but it had been getting dark. He told me to go wait inside his house and he'd be back later. Those were the only words he'd spoken to me and it had been about six hours since then.

I had the sinking feeling he wasn't coming back tonight.

It was pitch black outside the window and I couldn't see anything. I'd started a small fire in the fireplace and it gave me just enough light to work. A headache was beginning to form and I rubbed my temples. Everything was such a mess. Worst of all, I didn't know what to do about it.

So much for knowing everything.

I layed my head in my arms on the table. The day had worn me out physically and emotionally. I hadn't eaten, not that I had much of an appitite.

I just wanted to sleep.

My eyes slipped shut on their own, and I could feel myself drifting off. I heard what sounded like a door opening and closing, and footsteps behind me, but I just stayed where I was. I was in no mood to talk to Link or anyone else.

In my foggy state I heard Midna hovering near my head. "This is impressive. I was just telling her to do it as a joke, but she might actually be useful." Air brushed my cheek softly as the papers I'd left next to me rustled when they were picked up. "Look at this! There's even drawings of carvings in the grounds! Rusl only told you about this place a few hours ago. She really does know everything."

She shrieked a little. He must've grabbed her or something. "Try not to wake her up. She's barely slept these past couple of days."

...He'd noticed? I felt a stab of guilt.

"Okay, okay! Just put me down. Sheesh." There was a woosh of air. "You're no fun."

Midna had probably disappeared into the shadows, because it was quiet now. A blanket with incredibly soft fabric was draped over my shoulders and bare arms.

Link sighed. "...Why can't I stay angry with you?"

Was that his hand near my face? If it was, he thought the better of it and walked away. I heard him climb the ladder and get into bed. I relaxed a little now that he wasn't so close.

The crackling of the fire and his silent breathing was the only noise in the room now. Whether he was asleep or not, I didn't know. Maybe he was pretending like I was. Why did I care so much anyway? I shifted a little to make myself more comfortable and tried not to think about it too hard.

There was a slight breeze coming in through an open window as I finally managed to drift off.

* * *

A burning light was scortching my skin, while something grainy and sharp dug into it.

I opened my eyes.

Sand...there was sand everywhere! I sat up and scrambled to my feet, flinging the stuff in every direction. I'd been half buried. I was thankful I hadn't gone to bed in my nightgown and had just fallen asleep at the table.

"All right!" I put my hands on my hips, frowning at nothing, knowing that someone was there. "Whose idea was it to bring me out _here_?"

Some of the golden sand formed into a mound and the Hero of Time popped out of it, coughing. "Sorry." He said. "A sandstorm came up a minute ago. I would've stopped it if I could've. Believe me."

Oh, I did. He looked miserable.

"Are you okay?" I offered him a hand up and he accepted it, sand pouring off of everything.

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. But what are you doing here?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "In the middle of nowhere? I have no idea. I had just fallen asleep." Man, stupid time travel ripple _thing_ (that I just happened to cause). I want a night of actual sleep, thank you.

"I see. But we're not in the middle of nowhere. Turn and look behind you."

I had to shield my eyes from the blinding sunlight as I looked up. A large rock stood out against the sand, carved with a woman holding out two hands. She had a snake wrapped around her body. Palm trees dotted the area around it, and there was a small opening at the very bottom.

"What is this place?" I asked, knowing very well where I was.

"The Spirit Temple. It's a sacred place for the Gerudo." The hero replied. "You know, the same race your friend is."

I really wish he would get over that. So there was a male Gerudo. So what? "Oh, you mean Livius."

He nodded, but didn't say anything else about it. "Since you're here, want to see the inside? It might be cooler than staying out in the sun like this and I have to check on something anyway. I'll see about getting you home right after."

Check something? Well that sounded suspicious. Had the twilight shown up here again? Still, I really didn't have anything better to do. It'd be nice to clear my head after the day's events. "Sure. Why not?"

We trudged across the sand towards the entrance. There were two female Gerudo guards posted on the outside, probably to keep watch for intruders. Their eyes followed me as I walked past. I felt like they could see right through me.

It was cooler inside, much to my relief. It took some time for my eyes to adjust to the light, not that there was much light to begin with.

It kind of looked like what the inside of a pyramid might look like. Torches hung in holders on the wall providing most of the light, and the all the walls and floors were made of stone. That was where the similarities ended. There were giant snake statues with some wierd, ancient language on either side of the staircase and at the top was a red rug that seemed royal. The doors looked to be made out of high-quality marble.

Did I mention that the room was _huge_? I could barely see the ceiling.

"Whoa.." I wasn't expecting something so...grand. "This place is gigantic."

"I'm sure it seems like that, but it's actually not all that big." He said. "In fact, our destination is only a few flights up."

I followed him up the staircase and to the right, through one of the heavy marble doors. It was pretty unreal to see the statues and sun carvings that I've seen a million times, but somehow, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it'd be. I could hear him talking, but I didn't hear a word he was saying. Instead, my mind kept going back to Link. I wonder what he was doing now. Was he still awake? Or had he gone to bed? I hoped it was the latter. I may have barely slept, but he hadn't slept at all.

...Ugh.

I wanted to knock my head against the wall. Why should I be worried? It's not like he had hearts and a real-life magic meter that would run out if he was tired.

"You're unusually quiet."

"Huh?" I'd been so wrapped up in my own thoughts, that I hadn't noticed the Hero of Time had stopped walking and sat down rather comfortably on a set of stairs. I must've been pacing back and forth without noticing. "Oh...sorry."

"Did something happen?"

"I suppose you could say that. It's not anything I wasn't expecting, but that doesn't mean it isn't bothering me." Yes, I knew it was my fault things had turned out this way. But still...did he have to pretend I almost didn't exist?

He got up and dusted himself off. "I won't pretend I know what's going on, but the best thing you can do is keep going. Do what you can to make it better, and accept the fact that there's some things you can't fix."

"Does that advice from experiance?"

The question seemed to bring up a few memories for him, because he was quiet for a while. "...Yeah. There's been several times I've had to tell myself that."

I knew he was right. There were going to be some things I couldn't stop or change. I'd struggled with accepting that the whole time I'd been here. Now I had to, or things might never get better and more people could die because of my stubbornness. I hoped my and Link's relationship wasn't one of the things that was irrepearable. That would break my heart.

There was one thing I could and should do right now, though.

"...I'm sorry I called you a coward." I said, clasping my hands behind my back and scuffling around a bit. "You know, the first day we met."

"Don't worry about it. I know you meant well. I will say, though it was a bit surprising."

"What was?"

"You. I don't think I've ever seen someone as..._bold_ as you."

That...was one way to put it. I wanted to bury my head in shame. Being here seemed to bring all kinds of emotions out of me. "It's good you weren't there all those other times then." He'd probably laugh at me if he knew half the things I'd tried to do up till now.

"Come on. Now that you're out of your slump, you want to see something interesting?"

Actually, I was far from out of my slump, but I was still curious. "What is it?"

He motioned for me to follow him. We went up the next staircase and through a few more rooms. They were empty, probably because Ganondorf had been banished from here long ago. Thinking about it, the Hero of Time seemed to be about my age or even older. It was something I hadn't wondered about before because we'd been too busy with more important things.

The doors other than the two entrance ones were made of wood and went up slower than the marble ones. Dust fell from the walls as the one we stood in front of stopped almost at the top. It was stuck.

The hero didn't seem to care, though. Was it normal for it to do that? "In here." He ducked inside the room.

I stepped under the halfway open door into a eerily dark room. It didn't seem normal to me, considering there were a few openings where sunlight was supposed to come through.

There, in the center of the wall, hanging over a drop-off, was a round mirror. It was easily bigger than both of us, and it had strange markings around the rim of it. The bottom had a few grooves in it, suggesting that it could be mounted on something other than the wall.

It couldn't be, could it?

The Mirror of the Twilight. There was no mistaking it. And it was in one piece.

"It's a...mirror." I said.

"This thing is crucial in dealing with criminals we can't put in jail. This is what I came to look at today."

"How often does that happen?"

"Thankfully, this has only been used once."

Yeah, and it screwed up everything even worse than before. I bit my tongue to keep from saying so. "They must've been a pretty horrible person, then."

"You have no idea."

Oh, I think I do.

I looked around the room. There was something strange about this place. I'd felt weird ever since I'd walked in here. The shadows seemed to cling to the corners of the room. Kind of like in the cave with Hane that time.

The hero didn't seem the least bit bothered. Didn't he notice how dark it was?

The hair stood up on the back of my neck, and I slowly reached behind me. I slipped my fingers into my pouch where I kept my Ice Rod. I could feel it, just a little more...

A black and red portal formed on the ceiling. The whole temple began to shake and a heavy force dropped down from it, slamming me into the stone wall. There was more shaking as black columns dropped one after the other around us and the mirror. The invisable force revealed itself now. It was ten times as big as I was; it's hand alone was more than enough to hold me in place.

A Twili creature stared at me, closer than I'd like.

"What the?" The hero pulled his sword, ready to strike. If he couldn't see it before, he saw it now.

"No! Stay back!" I couldn't breathe. One move of aggression from this creature could easily snap the bones in my body or his. "There might be more. You kill one of these things and any others around will revive it."

The shadows in the room where overwheming now. I couldn't see anything else in the room, save for the space around the area we stood. There was no way to tell if there were more. If it had eyes, the Twili monster would be glaring at me. It tightened it's grip on me before letting go. I dropped to the ground, pain radiating throughout my entire body.

"You all right?" He asked in a lowered voice, his eyes barely leaving the creature for a second.

I used the wall to pull myself back up. "Yeah...but what is it doing?"

It walked on it's knuckles, slowly across the room towards the mirror. Wait...the mirror? When it reached it, it raised a fist.

"No...It's going to destroy the mirror!" He dashed forward, but he wasn't going to reach it in time.

I yanked the Ice Rod out of my pouch as the fist came down and used it to encase the mirror in a large column of ice.

The Twili stumbled back after it hit the solid wall and shook it's large head. I almost felt bad for it. They were originally like Midna, and not completely evil. But they were still frightening in their strength when they were under control.

I barely made it to my feet when it came at me again, though this time the Hero of Time tried to stop it before it could reach me. He was almost faster than the monster, but not fast enough. He dodged a few swings of the creature's giant fist, but when when he went to strike it, it was ready and sent him flying across the room.

I used the hyperwing to create a shield, but it dissolved when the Twili swung at me and I went down again. Not nearly as hard as the hero, but it made me want to stay down for a second or two.

He got back up and ran at it again, already knowing where the creature would swing. It missed this time, and he managed to leave a fairly deep gash in it's right side.

It reared it's head back and roared, swinging its fists every which way, breaking off large chunks of the wall above us, causing the rubble to rain down on our heads. He yanked me to the side just as some of the bigger pieces landed where I'd been sitting.

There was more noises from the other corners of the room. There were at least two more, I could tell. Why weren't they attacking us? sounded like the scraping of claws. Twili didn't have claws, did they? And...

Was that growling?...

A grey wolf leapt out of the shadows and onto the back of the Twili, teeth digging into it's arm. It gave a shriek and threw him off, but he landed and launched at it again. The wolf tore through it, then zipped back into the shadows with blinding speed.

There was a small explosian and the shadows began to lift. The black columns dissolved and the room lightened considerably. I could see a few windows now that sunlight poured through. It reflected off the mirror and made it look mystical.

I pulled myself to my knees. "Oww..."

"Don't move." The hero moved in front of me, picking up his sword from the ground. The blade's edge scraped against the stone floor, making me cringe at the noise. It sounded like nails being dragged across a blackboard.

The grey wolf was baring it's fangs, slowly walking towards us. As it crept closer and closer, I got a good look at it's eyes.

They were deep blue.

"Stop!" I jumped up and put myself in between them.

"Amanda? Are you crazy? Move!" He reached to pull me out of the way, but the wolf opened his mouth and was ready to bite.

I put myself in the way again, using my other arm as a shield. Pain shot up my arm as sharp teeth sank into it. I'd only been bitten by an animal once before, but I think this hurt worse than the first time.

I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes and I clamped my mouth shut to keep from yelling out.

"What's the matter with you?" I choked out, looking directly into those blue eyes. "He didn't do anything to me or you. Stop this."

The hero looked confused and a little dumbfounded. "What's the matter with_ you_? You're talking to a monster while it has it's teeth in you."

The wolf growled and snarled, putting it's teeth deeper in my skin. If you thought it was bad getting bitten, imagine getting your arm forcefully yanked while getting bitten.

"Link, stop it!" I bit my lip, but I knew it was too late to stop any tears from falling. "Please..."

"Link?..."

The wolf pulled his teeth out of my arm and stepped back. Blood flowed freely down my arm and I clutched it tightly to my chest.

Black magic surrounded the wolf and it stood on it's hind legs. Hands formed from the front paws, and human feet formed from the back. He went completely black before I saw those familiar blue eyes. Human, this time.

"What is this?..."

"Exactly what it looks like. I can turn into a wolf." Link turned to me and grabbed me by my good arm. "Let's go."

"Hold on a second." I yanked my hand out of his and frowned. "Since when do you tell me where I go and where I don't?"

"Since you just left without saying anything."

All the things the hero and I had talked about earlier flew out the window. I was_ mad._ "You think I came here on _purpose_? Believe me, if I had wanted to not be there when you got back, I would've just walked out. _You're_ the one who never came back to the house."

"What I do is my business."

He did _not_ just say that. "Oh yeah? Well same goes for me."

I turned and darted under the door, running down the stairs two at a time. I needed to get out of there. I ran blindly down the halls, leaping down the stairs as fast as I could. It felt like I couldn't breathe, like something was going to suffocate me if I didn't get out right now. Footsteps sounded off against the walls. Someone was behind me. I turned to look and missed the next step.

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Link standing above me with cold, empty eyes. Just watching as I fell.

* * *

I landed on the floor of Link's house with a thud. The blanket fell off my shoulders onto the ground next to me. There was a little light in the sky when I peered up at the windows.

"What happened?..." Link peered slightly over the edge of the platform his bed was perched on. He was perched up on his elbow, rubbing his eyes.

Had that been all a dream? I checked. No bones broken. That's a good sign. "Nothing. Go back to sleep." I leaned on my arm to push myself up. Pain shot up it as I did and I looked down. Fresh blood dripped down over a large bruise that surrounded large bite marks.

My heart sunk. So it had happened.

"Amanda, you're bleeding!" Link was out of bed now, climbing down the ladder. He grabbed a box off the shelf as he hit the floor. I pulled back as he reached for my arm, but he grabbed it anyway. There was anger in his voice now as he said, "Who did this to you?"

...Really? He was going to feign ignorance? That was a new low. "...You did."

"What are you talking about?" He frowned. "I would never do this to you. I know we're fighting right now, but be serious and give me a real answer."

"I did. And I'm sick of you yelling at me to do this and do that." I felt like I didn't know what I was saying anymore. Was I even awake yet?

"What are you so angry at me for? I don't understand!"

He really seemed puzzled and confused as to why I was upset, and that fueled my anger even more. "Don't give me that! If you really wanted to talk about anything, you would've woken me up. We were just together a second ago and all you did was demand to know where I was!"

"What are you talking about? You've been asleep for several hours! I haven't spoken to you since we were in the woods earlier!"

"Yeah, I suppose you haven't. You talked _at_ me rather than_ to _me. You're exactly right." I pulled some folded pages out of my pouch, pulled his hand out and placed them in it. They were more sketches of the temple I hadn't thought were important, but now realized were. "I'm finished. You won't need me for a while." With that, I turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind me as hard as I could just because I felt like it.

And I didn't look back.

* * *

*hums* You're nothing but trouble, trouble, trouble...Whose fault is it? Love me! Shoot, shoot, shoot! Love me, hoot, hoot, hoot!

Ahem. Check my profile for that song and the one from the birthday chapter if you want to hear them. Anyway, review? :x


	34. Heartbroken

**Author's Note: **Yay, another chapter done. I'm on a roll. D:

**Reviews:**

**LadyxHydrangea: **I'm not saying nothing. Nope. If you're confused, then I've done a good job. :x

**Everyone else: **xDDDD Okay, okay. I updated.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Heartbroken**

To say it was tense between us when we returned to the village would be an understatement. Link wouldn't even look at me half of the time. And when he did, it was for only a brief second when he had to say something.

Otherwise, we didn't talk, and we didn't spend any time together, except at dinner. Everyone seemed to be trying to stay out of whatever it was that was wrong between us.

It was a far cry from the way things had been just a week ago.

And it hurt.

"...So I was thinking we could go and get her and have a girls' night." Maya said.

"Huh?" I blinked. I must've been spacing out. "Sorry, Maya. What were you saying?"

She sighed and folded the last of her laundry. We'd been tasked with that chore for the day by Jillian. "I said we should go get Ilia and have a girls night. The guys have been talking to her nonstop these past couple of days about her memory. She needs a break. I already talked to mom and she thinks it's a great idea."

I folded the last of my own and picked up the empty basket. "It does sound like a good idea. But you should probably be the one to go get her." I pulled open the doors of the wardrobe and set the small basket back in place. "Me going would only cause trouble."

"Oh no, it wouldn't." She put her basket away too and linked her arm in mine. "Come on. We'll go together. I'll need all the help I can get."

I sighed and reached for my bag. "Fine. But let me-" I stopped mid-sentance as something fell to the floor. I stared at it in disbelief. It wasn't possible, was it? The answer was no, but there it was, on the floor.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." I stuffed the object into my pocket and shut the wardrobe. "If we're going to go over there, let's go. Before I chicken out."

"Oh, that won't be a problem." She tightened her grip on me and started walking.

Digging my heels in would've been childish, so I just let her lead me downstairs and out the front door.

It was pretty dark already, so the sanctuary had an orange glow to it from the roaring fire inside. We could see Ilia talking to Hane about something and shaking her head. She looked tired. As afraid as I was to go in there, Maya was right. Ilia needed to take a break.

I pulled Maya into the shadows for a second, away from the window. "How are we going to get her out of there? If we tell them the truth, they'll probably say this is more important."

"I don't really think Hane would do that, but with the way Link's been acting for the past couple of days, he might." She tapped her chin with a finger. "Hmm..."

I straightened and peeked through the window. He looked exhausted, but...there was a sadness about him, too. It was probably for Ilia's wellfare.

"Let's...just try talking to them first. You're probably right. They're just tired, too."

She smiled. "Right. Everyone needs a break."

I took a deep breath. I can do this...right?

My fingers wrapped around the door handle and I pushed it open. I tried to put a smile on my face as I greeted them. "Hey."

Hane was the first one to say something. "Evening, you two. Did you need something?" He leaned down to give Maya a kiss on the cheek.

"Actually..." She started.

"We came to see if we could borrow Ilia for a while." I inturrupted. "She looks like she could use a break. And so do the rest of you." I knew it'd been Maya's idea, but I had made up my mind to take the heat for it, should there be any.

"Mom has set up kind of a girl's night for the three of us." Maya added with a smile. "It might help to have fun a bit, too."

Ilia's eyes lit up. "Really? That sounds like fun. I'd love to. You wouldn't mind, would you?" She glanced up at him.

I was worried about what Link might say, but he just shook his head. "No. Have fun. Don't worry about anything for now."

Well that was easy.

"We'll walk you girls back. It's gotten really dark pretty early lately." Hane stood and streched.

I paused. Should I take this opportunity to tell Link what I'd found? I hated the thought of keeping another thing from him and him finding out later that I'd known all along. Even if it wasn't the way the story was supposed to go, I needed to do this.

"Actually, I need to talk to you for a second." I glanced over at him. "Do you mind?"

He looked like he wanted to say yes, but he just nodded. "...No. Go on, Hane. I'll walk her back myself when we're done."

"Okay." He wrapped his arm around Maya and nodded to Ilia. "Let's go, ladies. Jillian is waiting for you."

I waited until they were all outside and down the road a little before I shut the doors.

"So what is it?" Midna slipped up from the shadows. "You know something."

I sighed and reached into my pocket, pulling out a horseshoe-shaped flute. The same one Ilia had been working on the day before we were supposed to leave for the capital. The one that was supposed to be locked away in the hidden village right now.

But it wasn't. It was here with me.

And I was scared of what that meant.

I handed it to him. "This will help return Ilia's memory to her."

He scowled darkly at me. "How long have you had this?"

I frowned. "I just found it. Don't go thinking I'd be keeping something like this. You may not trust me, but I'd never intentionally hurt anyone here, especially Ilia. She's my friend, too. I would've given it to you if I'd known, regardless if you knew my secret or not."

For the first time in a while, Link looked uncertain of what he thought, but I didn't say anything else.

Midna yawned and leaned back, looking fairly relaxed and a bit bored. "Don't worry. I, at least, know you wouldn't hurt anyone. You may be clumsy, but you're not cruel." She opened one closed eye. "Was that all?"

"Yes. For now." I pulled the door open. "I can walk back myself."

He didn't follow after me and I honestly didn't care. The cool night did little to comfort my poor mood. It didn't seem like it was going to rain and there were no clouds, but it was darker than normal. And as usual, I felt I like I was being watched. But it seemed more menacing than before. I quickened my pace. I didn't want to get caught in the dark with something I was ill prepared for.

The inn was bright and cheerful and soothed my frazzled nerves a little as I stepped inside. Hane came out of the kitchen with a tray of tea at the same time.

"Where is Link?" He asked.

"He's still back at the sanctuary." I replied, starting to climb the stairs.

"Hey, hey, hold on a second." He swifty set down his tray and in a few strides was able to reach for my arm, halting me in my tracks. "What's going on with you two? Ever since you came back a few days ago, things have been wierd. Did something happen?"

I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes. "Yeah. But can we talk about it later?" I tried to smile a little, but I had a feeling I was failing. "Please...?"

The knight took my hand and held it carefully. "As long as you promise to."

"I promise, Hane." I knew he was just worried about me, but I was dreading that talk. I'd have to tell him, too.

"I'm going to hold you to that." He released my hand. "Go on. They're waiting for you."

I nodded and turned to go upstairs. Laughter filtered out from the bedroom. When I opened the door, they were all sitting on Maya's bed, giggling. Jillian included.

"You're finally back." Maya said. She stood and tossed me my nightgown. "Here. Change and come sit with us."

"'Kay." I blinked back more tears as I stepped behind the screen. I didn't want to start the night off by being frustrated. Ilia needed a light and fun atmosphere. If I could do anything to make things better, it would be that.

"Hurry up back there!" I could hear Maya calling me. "We want to play a game! We can't start without you!"

I took a deep breath and folded my clothes over my arms as I stepped out in my nightgown. "I'm coming, I'm coming." I managed a smile. "Sheesh." I put my clothes away and settled down on the bed next to Maya. "So what's this game you're talking about?"

"Truth or Dare, of course. It wouldn't be a true girl's night if we didn't uncover each other's dirty little secrets." She wiggled her eyebrows comically.

I tried not to choke as I sipped my glass of iced tea. "O-oh, we play that game at home, too."

Maya clapped her hands together. "Oh, good. So you already know how to play." She got a mischevious look in her eye that reminded me of Jillian. It was a little scary. "Then we'll start with you. Truth or dare?"

I wasn't sure which would be worse at this point. I was scared of what she'd ask me if I said truth, but it seemed safer at the moment then a dare. "Truth."

"Playing it safe? Aw, that's no fun." It was out-of-character for her to pout, but there she was, pouting. "Okay, we'll start out easy. Considering your name isn't one we hear at all...If you changed your first name what would you like to be called?"

I pulled my legs up onto the bed and grabbed a pillow. "That _is_ easy. I always liked the name Alexandria. There was a girl was in my class at school who had that name. She was really beautiful and exotic."

"I like your name. I don't think I like hers as much." Ilia reached for a piece of cake that was set on a nearby platter. "Your name fits you."

"I agree. It's a lovely name." Jillian said. "Mothers always know the right names for their children, even if they don't agree with the choice as they grow older." She shot a pointed glance in her daughter's direction.

I raised an eyebrow. "You hate your name?"

Maya let out a huff and propped her chin on her hand, twirling some stray thread on the quilt with the other. "It's so old-fashioned and dull. At least both of your names are pretty."

Ilia tucked her own legs up underneath her and hugged her pillow. "What does it mean?" She directed the question at Jillian, knowing Maya wouldn't answer.

"It means 'illusion' in an ancient language." The older woman answered. "What language that is though, is a secret, related to her ancestors."

"So she doesn't know?"

"Oh, I know where it came from. It just doesn't make it any less dull." She replied. "Okay, Amanda. Your turn to pick."

Hmm. Let's see. Who to pick?...

"Jillian. It's your turn. Truth or Dare?" This would be interesting. I hoped she picked truth, because I had a good question for her.

She didn't even hestiate. "Truth."

"What is the funniest thing you have ever gotten in trouble for?"

Jillian was quiet for a while and seemed to be struggling to pick one. "It's hard to say. The most times I ever got in trouble were with my husband-Maya's father-when we were young." She smiled to herself. "He was a knight and I was a silly young thing with a crush on him."

"Hey, this sounds familiar..." Ilia said. She and I both looked in Maya's direction and she blushed furiously.

"Like mother, like daughter, I suppose." The older woman poured herself some tea and sat back. "Let me see...This isn't exactly funny, but the most embarrassing time I could think of was when we were newly engaged and invited by the Queen and King to a formal dinner. I had just arrived when I saw a courtier that had a crush on my then fiancee for the longest time."

Maya nodded. "Ah, I remember this. The infamous Lady Tanith from the faraway country of Labrynna."

Labrynna? Like from the Oracle of Ages? Whoa. So that country exsisted, too.

Neat.

"Right. She was beautiful, I'll give her that. She'd been after my husband for a long time and was furious when he proposed to me. Nevermind that he'd be courting me for at least a few years."

"You'd think she'd get the picture after that length of time." I said.

"One would think so. But not Lady Tanith. She was a spoiled girl, to put it nicely. She thought she was entitled to whatever she wanted, which of course included my fiancee." Jillian seemed annoyed just thinking about it. "So that night, she made an effort to prove I didn't belong at the castle. She did everything from tripping me during the dances, to knocking my silverware off the table at dinner as she was passing by."

"How terrible."

"That wasn't even the worst of it. When I presented myself in front of the queen, she made a fool out of me by discussing things I knew nothing about."

Ilia shook her head. "You must've been scared. What an awful person."

"I was mortified. But I was thankful the queen was such a kind woman. She was patient with me and pulled me aside to teach me the things I needed to know."

It was nice to find out that the Princess' mother was as sweet and genuine of a person as she was herself. "It sounds like she was a wonderful woman."

"She was. I was devistated when she passed away."

"I have to say though, I'm dissappointed you don't have a more embarrassing story than that. Nothing interesting from your time as a young girl with Maya's dad?"

"Amanda!"

I giggled. "Sorry, Jillian. Anyway, your turn to ask someone."

"Ilia, dear? Truth or dare?"

Ilia twirled a strand of her short blond hair as she thought it over. "Since no one has done it yet, I choose dare."

Jillian rubbed her hands together. "Good choice. Amanda, Maya, go get the entire top shelf of my spice rack from downstairs."

Uh-oh. She had that look on her face...Poor Ilia. She didn't know what she was getting herself into.

Maya saw it, too. "Now, mom...maybe you should-"

"Maybe you should do the dare with Ilia. Amanda, you go down and get the spices and two spoons."

I silently got up and headed for the door, folding my hands and pleading silently with Maya to forgive me. It was better to do as her mother said before I got stuck in the whole thing. She'll forgive me. I hope.

There were soft voices below and I knew it was him and Hane. Okay. All I had to do was slip by quietly and pray they didn't notice me. Easy, right?...

I tiptoed down the stairs and didn't even look at them as I ran across the room to the kitchen. I knew they'd seen me, but I didn't even worry about it. The spice shelf was just above the counter next to the stove. I had to climb onto the counter to reach the spices themselves, because I was too short otherwise.

Several bottles and a few spoons in hand, I climbed back down and shuffled out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. Their eyes followed me as I went back upstairs.

"What was that about?" He asked.

"I don't think we should get involved either way. Jillian will make us do it, too." Smart man.

I pushed open the bedroom door with my free hand, careful not to drop anything. "Okay, Jillian. Where do you want these?"

She held up a basket. "In here, dear."

I dropped them in there and handed her the spoons, sitting down next to her. Both Maya and Ilia were blindfolded, sitting nervously next to one another on her bed.

"Now, you must reach into the basket and pick any spice and eat a spoonful of it. It could be sweet, bitter, or spicy. You'll have to find out when you taste it." Jillian waggled a finger at them, though they couldn't see her do it. "And no peeking. I'll know if you do. Amanda, if you would hold the basket up. Maya will go first."

Maya was practically glaring at me through her blindfold when she reach in to pick hers. I took it from her and bit my lip or to keep from laughing. It was Kharm, a really spicy herb used in some rice and meat dishes. Kind of like Curry.

Her mother poured it out onto a spoon and handed it to her. "Quickly, now. Or I'll do it for you."

She held her nose and stuck the spoon in her mouth, eating it all in one go. Maya's face turned red as she swallowed and I couldn't help but start laughing as she tore off her blindfold and downed a whole glass of tea.

"You think this is funny?" She asked.

I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye as I tried to contain myself. "Sorry, Maya. It kind of was."

"Then take this!" Maya launched off of her bed, then grabbed my foot.

I didn't even give her the chance to try. "_Maya_!" I was a little less graceful than her and both of us ended up on the floor, laughing. I'm sure we sounded like insane people to those two downstairs.

"Okay, knock it off. It's Ilia's turn now." Jillian held up the basket and let her pick.

Ilia looked nervous as she picked a bottle from the basket and handed it to me. I looked at it, then tossed it to Maya. She grinned and poured some out onto the other spoon. It was Solu, a very bitter spice.

Brave as she was, the girl downed it and made a face. We waited for her reaction, but...there was none.

She lifted her blindfold and peered out. "Was that all?"

Maya and I threw our pillows at her and she grinned.

We all settled back down into our original positions on the beds as Jillian went down to store the spices in the kitchen. When she came back, it was Maya's turn again as she participated in the dare, too. Ilia agreed.

"Come on, you _have_to do a dare now." Maya said.

"How come?" I asked, stifling another laugh as I popped a small chunk of cake into my mouth.

Her eyes were glittering with excitement now as she bounced up and slid a leg underneath her. "Beause it's payback for siding with my mom."

"Uh-oh." I said meeting gazes with Jillian as I reached for another bite of my dessert. "I'm afraid to say yes." I chewed the sugary sweet cake thoughtfully and grinned as Maya gave me another overly-exaggerated pout. "Okay, okay! Dare."

She leaped off the bed and ran over to open the wardrobe, where I kept my things from home. "I know it's in here somewhere...A-ha!" In her hands when she turned around was my portable speakers and music player. "I've heard you sing, now I want you to dance. You said this thing plays music."

"Oh, Maya...I don't know if the power will work." I stood up and took it from her to examine it. I'd put it in my purse the day of the party so we could do karaoke. Ah, technology. That seemed so far away now.

I held the power button on my mp3 player and waited for a few moments. A light flashed and the word "Hello!" scrolled across the screen.

"All right. Looks like you win." I sighed and shook my head. "I did accept the dare after all."

"Why do you look so down? You told me you loved to perform, dear." Jillian said.

"I do, but this music is nothing like the music here. Are you sure you want to see it?"

"Yes!" Maya nodded. "That's why I want to see it. But...I want you to overlyexaggerate it. If you got to laugh at us, we want the chance to laugh at you?"

How could I argue with that? I smiled and placed my hands on her shoulders. "Okay. Just let Ilia pick the type of song."

"Deal." She grinned. "Now Ilia..." She looked evil as she slung an arm over Ilia's shoulders. "What type of song should we make her do?"

Ilia tapped her chin with a finger. "Hmm...I say...An uptempo song. And make it one with as corny of a dance as you can."

I pushed the buttons on my music player and scrolled to a song I knew I could overdo very easily. It was remnicent of the 70s, and disco could be pretty corny. I set it down on the nightstand and jumped up.

For the next three and a half minutes, I wiggled, jumped around and pointed, trying my hardest to exaggerate it.

But in the end, all they said was, "That wasn't corny, that was _good_! "

Well,_ excuse _me.

"All right. Now you have to take a question since you didn't fulfill the requirements of the dare." Maya said. "I have got a good one, too."

Uh-oh. I had a really bad feeling about this. I didn't think she was going to ask me something easy to answer this time.

"What is a question you'd be afraid to tell the truth on?"

I froze. I wasn't expecting that, but it was pretty close to just outright asking me what was going on between me and him. Leave it to Maya to be sneaky about it.

"Why don't you just ask me what you want to ask me?" I said quietly. "I'd feel better if you did it that way."

She sighed. "You knew what I meant, huh?"

"These past few days he and I haven't exactly been subtle about things. I suppose it must've been obvious."

"It's just not like you two to be angry with one another." Ilia said. "Ever since he brought me here, even I could see he likes you a lot."

If the guilt hadn't hit me before, it certainly was hitting me now. Here my friends were, concerned for me and I was lying to them. I'd been lying to all of them this whole time. I just couldn't take it anymore.

"He found out I'd been keeping some things from him." My hands were clasped tightly in my lap. I didn't know what else to do with them.

"What kind of things?" Maya asked. "Something about your home?"

I took a deep, shuddering breath. "I suppose you could say that."

"Oh, everyone does stuff like that once in a while, dear. That's no reason to be this angry with you." Jillian rubbed my back gently, like a mother would. She knew I was upset. "What was it?"

Time seemed to stop as they waited for me to answer. "I knew about the attacks on the Castle. I know everything."

They all went quiet.

"...What?" Maya's voice was trembling.

I felt sick. I knew what I'd said, but it hadn't yet registered in my mind. It would later, I knew, and I would definitely wish I hadn't said it. But what was done was done. They would've found out sooner or later.

I didn't want any more secrets.

"...You heard me." I said. "I let all of those people die. I killed your father."

_CRASH._

Maya was pale. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her nails were digging into her skin and leaving little red marks. The glass she had been holding dropped and shattered into a million pieces around her on the floor.

I heard footsteps thundering up the stairs and the door flew open a second later, Link and Hane flew into the the room.

"What is going on up here?" Hane asked, out of breath.

Neither of us answered him. We just stood there across from each other, silent.

Maya picked up my dagger from one of the sidetables. There was a unreadable expression on her face, and fury in her dark eyes as she turned to me.

She wanted to kill me and I knew it.

Her feet moved slowing in my direction. The dagger began to get higher and higher, just high enough that it would most definately kill me if she landed a hit. Maya was deadly serious as she swung it at me.

I closed my eyes and waited to feel the sharp tip of it, but it never came.

When I opened them, Link was standing in front of me, holding her wrist with the knife in it away from me.

"Sorry." He said. "I won't let you do that."

Maya dropped the dagger to the floor and fell to her knees. I heard her begin to sniffle, and I stepped back. One, two, three steps until I was out the bedroom door. If he noticed, he didn't stop me. I ran down the staircase and went out the front doors.

It had begun to rain again, albeit not so heavily. It still felt cold as I ran in it, mud splashing up onto my legs and bare feet.

I didn't know where I was going, but I just kept running. Out the village gate, into the field that surrounded Castle Town. The sky was dark and I had no light. Countless times I tripped over brush and debris, but I still got back up.

My thoughts were a mess and I didn't bother trying to sort them out. I just needed to keep going. For how long? I didn't know. As long as it took me to stop hurting, I guess.

I'd lied to my friends-to these people who took me in and helped me-and this was my punishment for doing so

I just had to accept it.

My feet hit cobblestone and I heard the cry of a castle town guard as I ran past. I'm sure I must've looked like a wreck, but I didn't stop until I was inside on the empty streets. Not even the cats were out.

I didn't realize where I was in town until I saw Siena taking out the trash from the bar.

She spotted me instantly. I'm sure I stood out. "Aren't you...?"

I didn't answer her. My knees finally gave way, and I blacked out.

* * *

"Poor thing, she must've been under a terrible amount of stress." A female voice said. "Just let her rest and she'll be fine."

"Thanks, Telma. I'll be down to work soon." A male voice answered. "Just let me get ready."

A door shut, and I opened my eyes. The sunlight was peeking in from a window above my head. Plants that draped down from a pot on the windowsill tickled my nose and I sat up.

"Oh, you're awake, _pourquita_."

I looked over to my left and there was Livius, buttoning up his shirt. I would've been blushing and nervous around him like that if I wasn't still so disoriented.

"What happened?" I asked.

"My little sister found you outside the bar, completely soaked through and in your nightclothes. You'd fainted." He finished dressing and came to sit down in a nearby chair. "Telma said it was from stress."

The previous night's events came rushing back to me in horrible detail. I nodded. "It's okay. Now I can remember."

Livius smiled. "Good. That's great to hear. That means you'll recover quickly." He stood up. "Until then, you're welcome to stay here."

"Oh...thank you." I felt a bit of relief. I didn't want to go back to the village. "But...where is here?"

"You're in my and Siena's home. In my bedroom to be more specific." He chuckled when I looked a bit panicked. "I slept on the seperate bed in my sister's room last night. Don't worry. Although..." He bent down and slid a finger under my chin. "I could sleep in here if you wanted me to."

Cue the blushing. "Th-that's okay. I'm fine."

Livius laughed. "I was kidding,_ pourquita_. I'd never do that to a lady such as yourself." He headed for the door and looked back over his shoulder as he said, "Siena drew you a bath and there's food downstairs for you when you're hungry. I've got to go to work. See you later."

He winked at me and was gone.

I pulled off the covers. I was still wearing my nightgown from the day before. It was pretty much ruined, but it looked like someone had left some clothes for me to wear near the dresser.

It was just a simple emerald-colored tunic and black pants with white stiching, but they were undoubtedly feminine and obviously borrowed from Siena.

I took them with me down the hall to a small bathroom. There was a tub full of steaming water waiting for me, and I wasted no time in diving into it. The water felt good. I discovered several scratches I'd probably gotten the night before, including one on my chest.

Ugh. More scars.

I rinsed off and dressed as quickly as I could and ran for the cover of the bedroom in case Livius decided to come back.

There was a knock on the door as I ran the brush through my newly-washed hair. I had gotten all the dirt and mud off, but the deep gash that ran across my collarbone and part of my chest refused to go away.

I sighed as the knock came again. "Come in." I touched the gash and winced. It was still pretty sore and swollen, despite the disgusting red potion and medication that'd been left for me next to the tub in the bathroom. How was I going to explain this one?

If I even got the chance to see them again, that is. If I didn't, well...I guess I wouldn't have to.

The thought of not seeing them anymore hurt.

The door swung open and I glanced up in the mirror. The person in the doorway nearly filled the entire frame, but it wasn't Livius. A dripping wet knight with piercing eyes stared back at me with an unreadable expression as he watched at my reflection.

I turned around on my stool. "Hane..." Immediately I felt like bursting into tears and hiding in my bed like a child, but I remained where I was. "...What are you doing here?"

He looked almost relieved and turned to shut the door. But when he turned back to me, he was nothing but angry.

"Do you know how long it took me to find you?" He grabbed me forcefully by my upper arms, no longer the sweet older brother. Now he was a furious knight, all business. "I had no idea if you were lying somewhere dead or hurt! I was going out of my mind worrying about you!"

He released me and I stumbled back a bit, partly from shock.

It was quiet for a while as he stood there slightly out of breath from yelling at me. And me, still wondering why he was here. Didn't he realize what I'd done?

"...I'm sorry, Hane." I heard myself say after a few minutes of silence. "But after last night, I didn't think it was a good idea for me to stay there any more."

"So you just left?...Without a word to anyone?"

I didn't know how to answer. Everything that came to my mind sounded like a cowardly excuse. I sank back down onto my bed, trying to think of an explanation...anything that would justify my lies. But I couldn't.

"I don't know..." My mouth began moving on it's own. "...I don't know why I felt like I had to keep things from everyone. It sounded like a good idea at the time. I mean, I didn't think I was going to be staying more than a few days. Things would just run their course after I went home and everything would be fine."

Hane watched me for a moment and then came to sit down on the bed beside me. He didn't say anything, but I knew he was going to listen.

Images flashed in my mind from my first days in this strange world. "Then it all happened so fast. Those monsters invaded the village and everyone was seperated. I used my knowledge and did what I could to protect those kids, but those villagers still died."

"From the item shop?" Hane asked, with a slight frown. "The shaman filled me in on that. You _did_ try to stop them from what he told me. He also told me their leader wanted to hurt _you_for getting in his way."

I continued on, "The raiding party, too. I should've remembered..."

"Wait...hold on a second. Now things are starting to make sense." He stood up and paced a little. "That's the reason you've been so insistant on going certain places and doing certain things? Because you knew everything."

"To an extent...yes. I've known about this place my entire life. I grew up hearing about it. But..."

"But?"

"...To me, it was all fairytales. No one from my world has ever seen this one. At least, that I know of."

Hane sighed, but it almost sounded like a sigh of relief. "So...you weren't working for...?"

"What?" Now it was my turn to be furious. I shot up off the bed, startling Hane a little. "Me?Work for that...that..._thing_? Oh heck no! If you think for a second I'd go to work for something that crazy or power hungry, or with that scary of a face, you're _out _of your mind!"

"Okay, okay, okay..." He laughed a little now, and I could hear definite relief in his tone. "I believe you." He placed his hands on my shoulders. "Calm down. Take a deep breath."

I did as he said and took a breath, letting the air out slowly. "Hane...I didn't...Maya's father..." I felt like crying again. "I wish I'd known..."

"Amanda...Then you'd be dead, too...You couldn't have stopped him..."

I felt a few tears fall. "If only I'd gotten here a few days sooner, I could've..."

"No, you couldn't. It would've been impossible. I wouldn't have let you."

That did it. I burst into tears.

Hane lent me his shoulder while I cried the month and a half worth of frustrations out that I'd been keeping inside. The changes I'd encountered, the lies, the danger I'd been in being alone more than once...

Everything.

Afterwords, I sat up and made an effort to compose myself. "I'm sorry. I don't know what has gotten into me lately."

Hane patted my head a few times. "I'm not. You needed to let it all out. You must've been scared keeping these things to yourself."

I felt like I was a small child when he did that. "What am I supposed to do?"

"For now, finish up and come downstairs to eat. We'll worry about the rest later."He got up and slipped out of the room, leaving me alone.

I sighed and flopped on my back.

How could I not worry about it? Still, I felt better now that everything was out in the open and everyone knew.

...But that was the problem. Now I wasn't sure who knew what.

I decided to take Hane's advice and shove it aside for now.

I set the brush back on the dresser and went downstairs.

* * *

Aww, big brother Hane. Now she has someone on her side. :D

As always, reviews are appriciated. :3


	35. Step By Step

**Author's Note: **Writing while having food poisoning is no fun. So is being too sick to sleep because of said food poisoning. If I missed something while proofreading, I'm sorry in advance. :(

**Reviews:**

**Dream Theme: **It is indeed a scary thing to have to face up to someone like that after you've knowingly lied to them. Amanda is tough, but she's still scared, too. She'll get through it though. Thanks for the review!

**Devonlizz: **That's okay. Really! College is a memorable experience (as I'm sure you've been told before), but it's different than high school. Make sure to balance your time effectively so you don't get stressed out! Also, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Professors can be scary, but they're also there for you should you need them. On the subject of the story, I'm glad you liked these chapters. I can't say too much about Link and Amanda, cause I'll give stuff away, but I hope you'll keep reading when you have the time!

**ChocolateMilkLOL: **Yay! I'm glad people like Hane. He's one of my favorites to write for. x3

**bellahelen101: **Soon, soon! Just keep reading and you'll see.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Step by Step**

"Ah, there you are."

Hane was at the counter, cooking something in a frying pan when I finally came downstairs. Whatever he was cooking smelled spicy and good. My stomach rumbled and I quickly held my hand to it, as if it could stop the noise.

"I heard that." He grinned and continued stirring whatever it was that was sizzling in the pan. "When was the last time you ate?"

I pulled out a chair and sat down at the small, circular kitchen table. "I've been nibbling on things here and there, but I haven't had much of an appetite lately." There were flowers in the center and I briefly wondered who put them there. Neither of the twins seemed like the type to enjoy that sort of thing.

"Well, that's going to end here and now." Hane set a plate off food down in front of me and sat down opposite me with his own.

There was some rice with egg and vegetables, cut up fresh fruit, and bread. My stomach rumbled again and I picked up my fork and began eating.

"This is good." I said, savoring the flavorful rice and vegetables.

"You seem surprised."

"No, I've just...never seen you cook."

"Jillian never lets me in the kitchen. Although..." He leaned his elbows on the table and smiled a little. "That could be because I purposely burned food a few times so I wouldn't have to cook. She thinks I can't."

So that's where Maya got the idea. I giggled a little at the thought of that.

...I wonder what they were all doing right now?

"So..." Hane said, as he polished of his fruit. "What are your plans for today?"

"Well, I thought I'd go and see a friend of Renado's that works with armor and weapons. He recommended him to me when we met. I want him to take a look at my haliberd." I'd almost fogotten about the whole thing. The mystic power in my haliberd kind of took a back seat to bigger problems.

"That's a good idea. I have some errands to run myself." Probably knight's work. He finished off the rest of his breakfast and took it to the sink. That was sure fast. "Why don't we meet back here later tonight and talk some more about what you should do next?"

I nodded. "Sounds good to me. But..."

"But what?"

"Shouldn't you be with Maya right now?"

"She's all right, Amanda. Angry, but okay." Hane put a hand on my shoulder. "Still, thanks for worrying about her." The knight grabbed his sword from beside the front door. "I'll see you later tonight."

With that, he was gone.

I looked down at my half-eaten breakfast, appetite suddenly gone. I took my dish to the sink and washed it off, drying it and putting it back in the cupboard. Running upstairs, grabbed what I had with me-which wasn't much-and went out the door myself.

Hane had brought my halberd and pouch, which contained my money and a few of my other weapons, but everything else was back at the village and I was _not_ going back there for anything. Hopefully I could convince him to bring the rest of it with him next time he went there.

It was easy enough to tell what part of town the twins lived in, from the few houses along the lane. Telma's bar was to the left and around the next corner. A few other houses lined the road, some with small flower baskets hanging out the windows, but the street still remained fairly undecorated. It was different from the inside of the house, which was pretty elegant, if a bit void of decorations.

I followed the road to the right and down as it curved around the buildings. I recognized the doctor's office we'd passed the night Hane and I had discovered Siri. It'd been empty and deserted at the time, but now people went in and out, buying medications and getting checked for small injuries. One small child walked out sniffling beside his mother, a cast on his wrist.

"Now you know not to try to climb the tree without any shoes." The woman said firmly.

Without any shoes? _That_ was the only issue? I covered my mouth to keep from snickering at that.

"Yes, mommy." The little boy tried bravely to stop crying, furiously swiping at any tears that appeared.

Next to the doctor's office was a slighty bigger building, there was a sign hanging above the door, but I couldn't read it. I took out the paper Renado had given to me what seemed like ages ago. While I couldn't read the directions on it either, it matched the writing on the sign, so I knew I was in the right place. I folded it back up and stuck it in my pouch before going inside.

"Hello?" I called as I entered.

The shop was full of all types of weapons. Swords, broadswords, spears, axes. You name it, it was probably somewhere in the room.

"I'll be right there!" A gruff male voice answered from the back. There was some scuffling and clinks before a large man walked out, dirt-covered towel in hand. He paused and looked me up and down before saying, "Yes? How may I help you, miss?"

I felt like he could see through me. "Uh...Is there something the matter?"

"Don't get many women coming into my shop, is all." He replied. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Ah, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about this?" I slipped my halberd out from it's case and handed it to him. He took it from me, and bounced it up and down a little. "Renado told me if anyone could figure it out, it'd be you."

He stopped examining my weapon. "So you're the one." He set down the haliberd against a counter and held a hand out. I slipped my hand in his and he shook it firmly. "I thought it odd that a woman would come here, but Renado wrote me about you, little miss. I nearly forgot until you mentioned his name just now."

I relaxed a little. He may have been a big man, but he was friendly. "Oh, yes. I'm Amanda."

"Raynard." He grabbed my halberd and motioned for me to follow him. "Let us see exactly what we have here."

We went into the back room, where his workshop was located. Tools I didn't recognize were scattered everywhere, along with bottles of what looked like cleaners and such. Raynard went to pull open a window to let more light in and then sat down on a stool.

"Hand me that toolbox over there, would you?" He asked.

I handed him the toolbox and he went to work, scraping, cleaning...it was actually pretty facinating to watch. After a few minutes, he sat up and took of the glasses he wore while working.

"Well, I can tell you one thing." Raynard set a few tools back in the box. "This is probably going to take all night. It'd be better if I brought it to you in the morning after I've had some time to clean this and repair it."

"Sure. I'm staying just down the street and around the corner."

He seemed to know exactly who I meant. "With those twins, eh? Not a problem. I'll have it to you first thing."

I thanked him and paid the fee for repairs in advance, which was less expensive than I'd initially thought. He walked me to the door like a gentleman and I waved goodbye as I headed down the cobblestone street in the opposite direction from before.

So, that was done. I wouldn't get the mystery of my weapon solved tonight, but at least it was being worked on.

I decided my mext stop would be the library to see if I could find any useful information.

Yes, Castle Town had a library. It was small, but very neatly organized. The librarian in charge was young, but seemed to know where every book was located. I asked for material on the Gerudo Desert and off she went, up the spiral stairs toward the second floor. I followed her towards the back, and she stopped at a tall bookshelf with a ladder attached.

"Here we are." She said. "All the books you'd find on the Gerudo are here. Be careful, now. The ladder moves very easily."

"I will. Thank you." I waited until she left, then climbed the ladder.

Most of the books were written in the more modern Hylian language, but there were a few that were written in English. I slid those out, along with a couple of the other ones, and climbed back down.

Settling down at a nearby table, I flipped one of them open. It was titled, "Gerudo History and Mythology". I read several pages, but there was nothing there I didn't already know. Still, it did seem like an interesting read. I set it aside for later.

Next was "Ancient Heroes of the Kingdom". It wasn't so much about the Gerudo as it was about the people of the country who stopped the bad ones. There were a few mentions of a "great evil", but Ganondorf's name wasn't said directly, which I found odd. Weren't men only born in that race every century or so? Evil or no, you'd think it would be a big deal.

I flipped through the other English books, but there wasn't anything of intrest. I wasn't sure what I'd been hoping to find, though. Maybe some ultra-secret plan to defeating a crazyman? Pfft. Like it'd be that easy.

Still, I could dream, right?

I sighed and set them down in a stack. The only ones left were the ones written in the native Hylian language. The first one had pictures, but it seemed to be nothing more than another history book. Same with the last one, but there were no pictures in that one.

"Oh, well." I said to myself as I stood up and stretched. It was worth a try.

The ladder creaked as I climbed up to the top and slid the books back into place. As I bent down to put the Hylian ones back, I noticed one wouldn't slide in all the way. Pulling the book back and reaching back into the empty slot, I grasped ahold of a thick, folded paper.

I climbed back down and layed it out on the table. It seemed to be a missing page from one of the Hylian books, specifically the one with pictures. The drawings depicted two older women, both wearing brightly colored headpieces with jewels. One wore a jewel that glowed red, one was blue.

The writing seemed to be of importance, but I couldn't read it. I wonder if I could get Hane to read it for me? I really needed to study the alphabet.

There was a snap of metal from behind me. Another snap and creaking. I quickly looked over my shoulder. The bookshelf behind me had come loose! I barely had enough time to get out of the way. It shook the whole building as it just missed crushing me to death. I tumbled to the floor, a few inches away.

"Oh my goodness!" When I looked up, the young librarian was already at the top of the stairs. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." I said, as she helped me to my feet. "It just fell like that all of a sudden."

"I've been meaning to get the metal clasps that hold the bookshelves fixed, but I never knew they were this bad!" She looked overwhelmed. "I'm very sorry this happened."

"It's okay, really. I'm not hurt at all." I patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. "Let me help you clean up a bit before I go."

The area when I'd been sitting was a mess. I helped the librarian roll the bookshelf onto it's side, because there was no way either of us would be able to pick it up without some serious muscle. The books had been scattered along the space, but luckily none of them were ripped or torn.

It took several hours to sort them and put them in the storage room in the right order. By the time we were finished, I could see a few pink and orange streaks in the sky.

The librarian thanked me profusely for helping her and offered to help me as much as she could, should I need to use the library again.

I bid her goodbye and left, walking out into the fresh air. I'd woken up in the late morning, and it was already getting dark.

I was supposed to meet Hane in a little while back at the house, but I had some time left to spend for myself now that my errands were done.

I took my time walking around the market. Despite the ugly, twilight covered castle that loomed over the city like an omen of doom, it was as lively as ever. People hustling to and fro barganing for the best prices on everything from fish to flowers to some wierd looking tools I couldn't describe if I wanted to.

Knights marched in straight lines around town, keeping close eye on the people. And every once in a while, one would stop to wink at a group of girls. They would giggle and wave cutely back. It was pretty funny to watch, even though I knew the feeling well myself.

I sat down on the edge of the fountain in the middle of town and rested my feet. A band of musicians were playing a cheerful song nearby and a few couples got up and began to dance. The water splashing behind me in the fountain felt good and I leaned back a little, feeling a cool breeze brush my cheeks.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the peaceful moment.

"Don't go to sleep, now. You might fall in."

I opened my eyes and Hane was inches away from me. I let out a yelp and wobbled backwards. I would've fallen in, but he grabbed me and yanked me back onto my feet.

Moment ruined. Good job, Hane.

"I see you're off duty for now." I said, dusting off my clothes and putting my hands on my hips.

He laughed a little. "Sorry, Amanda. That was just too tempting."

"I'm sure." I tried to frown, but couldn't. Hane was always in such high spirits that it was impossible to be in a bad mood around him. "You're back earlier than I thought. "

The knight shrugged. "Ah, well. Things are quiet around here for now. Not too much to worry about." Was there anything to worry about, though? I tried to remember if there were any other big events in or near the Castle Town that I should warn Hane about, but nothing came to mind. "Livius and Siena won't be back until late, but let's go back to the house for now. We can talk a little bit more about this morning."

I felt like I didn't have a choice, but I knew I needed to think about it at some point in this lifetime, so I let him lead me back to the house. A little puppy yipped and barked and dashed around us as we walked down the street. I stopped to scratch it behind the ears and continued on.

The house looked inviting when I approached it, and I realized how tired I was. The past several days had taken their toll on me.

When I opened the front door and walked in, I froze.

Link was sitting at the table, looking fairly relaxed.

"Hello, Amanda."

A flood of emotions came rushing at me all at once. Curiousity, sadness, joy, relief...but the one that came back to me the most was fear.

I turned to walk back out the door, but Hane was blocking my way.

"Sit." He ordered. "At the table." The knight added when he saw me head for the couch instead.

I slowly made my way towards the table and sat down in the chair across from him. He was looking at me, I knew, but I just stared down at my hands. Which I was nervously wringing under the table.

What was wrong with me? I'd never been this nervous around anyone before. Least of all Link.

"So this is where you were all day." I looked at Hane, who was now sitting on the other side of me. "You know, that was really sneaky."

"If I had told you, you would've run again." He folded his hands and looked directly back at me, unnerved by my pitiful expression.

He was right, but at least I wouldn't have to feel like this.

"Why did you run in the first place?" Link asked. I could hear anger and hurt in his voice. It betrayed the calm he seemed to exude on the outside.

I didn't have an answer for him, because I didn't really know myself. The silence seemed to give him the answer he needed, and he didn't say anything more. Either that, or he was just really angry at me. Maybe both.

"Knock it off. I didn't bring you two together to start this up again." Hane said.

We both sat in silence.

"What is it you need?" I asked finally. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't want something from me."

I could tell that comment stung because his whole body stiffened, but I also knew I was right.

"Amanda!" Hane was going to get angry at me too if I wasn't careful.

"It's fine. She's right." His voice was cold now, but there was still a note of hurt that I detected there. "I'm here to ask you if you'll come with me to the desert with me. I could use your knowledge of the landscape and prison."

Prison?... Oh, he meant the Arbitor's Grounds. Midna must've told him about it already.

If he was going to be stiff and fomal, I could be that way, too. "I would be happy to come with you, but I would not be able to direct you across the desert. You'd need someone who grew up there."

I'd read it in one of the books from the library earlier. Only a Gerudo would know how to get past certain traps buried in the sand and ruins. It was protected and sacred information.

"I see. I assume you know someone with this information?"

I shrugged. "No, but my best guess would be to ask Livius or Siena."

"Where are they now?"

"At the bar. Working." Hane answered. "We should go over there before it gets too late."

I shoved back my chair as I stood up. "Well, have fun with that. I'm going to bed."

The knight grabbed my arm as I was in the process of bolting for the stairs. "Not so fast. You're going, too."

It took everything I had not to groan and roll my eyes like a child. I was in a bad mood, I was tired, and now Hane was doing this out of spite. Still, something in Link's eyes made me wait for them anyway.

It was the half-wolf thing. Yeah, that was it.

I kept ahead of them slightly as we walked to the bar. It was uncomfortable to walk in front of them, but I didn't want to look at him. It made me feel guilty and sick all over again.

Thankfully, the bar wasn't that long of a walk and I was able to duck inside quickly. The tables were full, but not as full as usual. I didn't see Livius, but Siena was serving some customers in the corner.

Funny, one of them looked kinda familiar...

"Ah, good evening, Amanda." Siena slid her tray underneath her arm once it was empty. She turned and bowed slightly to Hane and Link, who came in behind me now. "Good evening."

"Oh my!" Telma was cleaning some glasses behind the bar counter. "If it isn't three people I wanted to see the most right now!" She set down the glass she'd been drying and leaned one elbow on the counter. "How are you feeling, honey? Better?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you." I said.

She squinted a little as she looked me over. "You sure? You seem kind of pale." Wiping her hands on her apron, Telma reached for a mug. "Tell you what. Why don't you sit yourself down and I'll make you some tea with honey. It will cheer you right up."

"Hello, Telma." Link said. "Long time, no see."

"Indeed! And you came at the perfect time, too. There's some people I want you to meet. Hey, everyone!" She hollered at the group of people Siena had just served. Her voice echoed in the large room and it definately got their attention. "This handsome young man is the infamous Link!"

The two men nodded, and the third one I saw was a woman that was dressed for very snowy weather. She stood with her hands on her hips, just watching.

"These are those friends I mentioned, the ones who are trying to help deal with all the troubles in Hyrule." Telma handed me my tea. Yum. It was the berry-flavored kind I liked. The honey added just the right amont of sweetness to it. She continued on, arms folded. "Actually, there's one more of us, but there's been a disturbing turn of events in the eastern desert, so he's gone to check it out."

I nearly choked on my tea. Auru. The resistance group. _Now_ I knew who all those people were and why they looked so familiar. I wanted to laugh when I saw Rusl in that helmet. He looked both ridiculous and really cool at the same time.

"...you've come all the way here, honey, so why don't you relax a little bit." I must've missed part of what she said. "Why don't you be sociable and talk to these folks? They're a jolly bunch!"

"Sure, Telma. But first, have you seen Livius? I need to ask him something."

"He's in the storage room, I think. Go ahead and head back there, if you like. He shouldn't be too busy."

I took another gulp of my tea and moved to get off my stool. Hane would make me go with him anyway, so I might as well follow him now. I felt a hand press against my knee.

"I'll go talk to him about it. Stay here." Link said quietly, so only I could hear. "Telma is right. You _are_ pale. Just sit and finish your tea. I'll be right back."

I watched as he strode away, ducking under the counter and disappearing into the back room. Hane was sitting at the table in the corner now with a few other knights. He pretended to be drinking something when I looked in his direction.

Tch. Troublemaker. If he had no intention of helping, then why was he here?

Rusl tipped his, er, helmet to me when my eyes wandered over in his direction. I think he knew I recognized him. I really wanted to ask him what was with the strange helmet, but he just grinned and I shook my head. Yes, Rusl. You look cool.

The door to the back room opened. "Ah _pourquita_!" I recognized Livius' charming accent a mile away. He came out of the back ahead of Link, carrying some bottles of wine. "Good evening. You feeling better?"

I nodded. "Yes." Mostly. I was beginning to feel sick again. I wasn't sure if it was from being with him for so long, or from something else entirely.

"Good. I hear you two want to take a trip across the desert. Don't worry about a thing. Siena and I will get you where you need to go." The tanned Gerudo seemed oblivious to the fact that I wasn't doing so well. "We can leave tomorrow at the earliest."

"That sounds fine." Link said, eyes on me the entire time. "Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, great." The room's temperature was shooting up way too fast for my liking. I jumped of my stool and managed to remain upright as I made my way to the door. "I'm going to take a walk."

I yanked it open, being careful not to slam it behind me when I went out. The night air wasn't really any comfort as I wobbled forward.

He was right behind me. "Where are _you_ going?"

"I'm not running away again if that's what you're asking." I said. "I'm just going to go back to the house and go to bed."

"Let me go with you, then."

"No, you can't." My legs felt like jell-o as I leaned against the wall.

I couldn't see the swordsman's face in the dark, but he sounded angry again. "What do you mean I can't?"

"You still haven't talked to the people Telma introduced you to."

"I don't really care. You-"

I stopped him before he could continue. "You should listen to them. It's important. Please just trust me on this, at least."

I was ready to beg him to stay if I had to. But he didn't say anything else except, "Fine."

"I'm okay, really. Just a bit tired is all." My attempt to sound reassuring was kind of pathetic.

Whether he bought it or not, Link just gave me one last look and went back inside. I clutched my stomach and slid down to the ground. Just for a moment before I tried to get up again. If I had to, I'd crawl all the way back to the house. I didn't want to stay here feeling like this.

I know I said I wasn't going to lie anymore, but I had.

There was something wrong with me. Something really, really wrong.

* * *

Um...uh-oh? :D;


	36. Crossing the Desert

**Author's Note: **Ahh, school. September used to be my least favorite month, but now that I'm at a university, I love it. Once you get older, I think you learn to appreciate fall more. xD Hope all of you are doing okay back at school!

**Reviews:**

**LadyxHydrangea: **Thank you! I can't tell you. That'd be giving too much away. You'll just have to keep reading. Heheh. xD

**bellahelen101: **Aw, don't say that. College is hard, but it's fun. You'll get used to it. Thanks for reading, even though you're busy!

**kenegi: **You'll just have to keep reading. ;3

**Myriads of Mysteries: **That's good to know. I worry sometimes whether I overdo it or not with the dramatic stuff. xD

**XemyPoo: **Thanks a lot! I'm honored you like it so much. But you can guess all you want about stuff. I'll never tell. You have to keep reading. :3

**MissLozSoue39: **Hmm...I think that happens later though, doesn't it? And if it doesn't, then oh well. I can always do something else_. :D_

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Crossing the Desert**

I stumbled into the dark house and fell to the floor. Pulling myself to my knees wasn't easy, but I managed to sit myself up and close the door behind me. Climbing the stairs also proved to be a long and arduous task. Once at the top, I crawled into the bedroom and got into bed. I didn't even bother to change into my bedclothes, not that I could've if I wanted to.

I felt nauseous and hot, like someone had decided to turn the bedroom into an amusment park ride and sauna all in one. If I layed still long enough, I could feel somewhat comfortable. My only reprieve now would be to try and sleep.

I just hoped no one would come up and see me like this.

I managed to drift off after a good long while, but it wasn't a very deep sleep. All of my actions and the choices I'd made were replayed for me like I was watching a videotape. The places we had yet to go appeared in my nightmares too, like someone was ripping them out of my head, forcing me to look at them.

It was painful.

Then everything rushed at me at once, and I shot up in bed, breathing heavily.

It was morning now and the sounds of the market drifted in from the open window. Someone must've come in at some point during the night to let fresh air in. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and walked over to the mirror.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary, and the color had returned to my face. The sick feeling was gone and I felt pretty steady on my feet. I collapsed onto the chair and breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever I'd had the night before was gone, and thank goodness for that. We were leaving for the desert today and I had other things to worry about.

Still...Maybe it'd been something I'd eaten? Or something weird in the tea?

No, nevermind. If I kept on this train of thought going, I'd never get out of here.

I was surprised to see the rest of my things from the village sitting just beside the doorway. Link must've brought them for me. My other clothes were packed neaty inside my bag. I grabbed the pants and tunic that Maya had given me for my birthday and headed down the hall for a bath. I had the feeling I wouldn't get a proper one for a while and I wanted to seize the oppurtunity to take one while I still had the chance.

Everyone seemed to be downstairs already, so I'd have to hurry it up. I tiptoed quickly and quietly past the stairs and ran headfirst into Siena, who was coming out of her own room.

"Whoops! Sorry, Siena." I said, picking up what I'd dropped. "I didn't see you."

"That's quite all right." She replied.

She was dressed differently than normal. Her clothes were considerably lighter and more Gerudo-esque. Balloon pants, short shirt and vest...all with red and blue patterning. She had tied her pretty red hair back with a scarf, and wore a few gold armlets and a matching choker.

"Is that what you're wearing?" Siena asked, looking at the tunic I had in hand.

I stared at it, too. Was the shirt strange or something? I'd worn it in front of her before and she hadn't said anything about it. "Yeah?...What's wrong with it?"

"You'll be much too warm in that. The desert landscape is very punishing. Please, come with me for a moment." She took me by the hand and led me back into her bedroom.

It wasn't all that different from Livius' room, but it was a little more decorated and had an extra bed. Siena went straight for her wardrobe and pulled it open. She seemed to know exactly what she was looking for and quickly produced some pants and a shirt that resembled her own.

"Here." Siena said. "This will work much better. Those flat shoes you have will work just fine, too. And try to only pack what you absolutely need."

"Okay. Thank you. I appriciate it." Clothes in hand, I turned to leave.

"...Are you feeling better now? Last night must have been some ordeal for you."

"What?" I stopped. How did she know about that? "What do you mean?"

There was a knock on the door. "Siena? You in there? I need you downstairs." It was Livius.

Her amber colored eyes flashed with annoyance at being inturrupted. "Just watch yourself." Was that a warning? She walked past me and out the door.

What had that been about? I tucked the clothes she'd given me under one arm and continued my trek for the bathroom. Was Siena aware of something I wasn't? No, that wasn't possible. Unless she was from the same world as me, which I highly doubted.

I washed quickly and dried off. It was still pretty early in the morning, but I didn't want to keep Link waiting. We were already on bad enough terms as it was.

I turned to check my appearance in the mirror. The scars I'd recieved the other night were more noticable now with the clothes Siena had given me. The pants were light and airy, but they wern't the balloon pants I was used to seeing on Gerudo. For that, I was thankful.

The shirt, however...

It was long, but not long enough. It would've showed off my frame, if I had one. But my lack of appitite had reduced whatever figure I'd had to almost nothing. Right before I'd graduated, I'd been working to build muscle. Now you could see my ribs instead. It didn't matter that the fabric was a pretty and flattering blue.

I looked like a skeleton.

I returned to my room to pack a few things and then finally made my way downstairs. Link and Livius were at the table, looking at a map while Siena making something in the kitchen. Hane was lying down on the couch, presumably asleep.

"Good morning." I said.

Hane was the first to reply. "Good morning yourself." He didn't bother to move from his spot on the couch. They all must've been up late last night.

Livius was marking something on the map, but he took enough time to smile at me before he went back to what he was doing. Link, on the other hand, watched my every move as if I was going to jump him or something.

"Morning." He said as I walked past the table towards the kitchen.

"Good morning." I was unsure of how to act around him after the way I left last night.

"I see you're doing fine now."

"Uh, yeah. It must've just been a slight bug or something." I busied myself with getting something to drink until there was a rap on the front door. "Oh, look. Someone's at the door. I'll get it!" I was grateful for the distraction.

When I opened it, Raynard was standing on the other side, looking like he had just jogged a marathon.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Come with me, girly. You've got to see this." The large man grabbed my arm and yanked me out the door with him. My other hand had still been on the doorknob, causing it to slam shut hard.

"Whoa!" I nearly stumbled onto the cobblestone as I tried to keep up with his long strides. "What's the rush?"

Before he could answer, someone came up behind me and pulled me free from Raynard's tight grasp. I knew who it was without even having to look.

"That's something I'd like to know myself." Link was standing so close behind me that it was a bit unnerving, especially because he was angry.

"Who're you?" Raynard's eyes narrowed at the grip he had on me.

This would get out of hand quick if I wasn't careful. They looked about ready to throttle each other. "It's okay. He's...a friend." It felt wierd saying that when we were so awkward.

"If you're sure." He didn't seem convinced. I didn't blame him.

"I'm sure. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about that has you so excited?"

"Your halberd is finished. Took me all night like I said, but I found something mighty interestin'."

"You mind if I come along?" Link asked, a little calmer now. "I've been a bit curious about it myself." I wondered if that was really the truth, or if he just wanted to keep an eye on me.

"It's up to the little lady."

Truth or not, I really didn't even have to think about it that hard. "No, I don't mind. Actually, I'd feel better if you would." Link had been with me the day I found it, and it only felt right that he get to hear this news, too.

"Well, come on, then." Raynard led the way back to his shop.

When we walked in, the early morning light was coming in through the open windows and I could see dust floating in the air everywhere. It made me want to sneeze.

My halberd was sitting on the table in his workroom. I hardly recognized it. All the rust had been cleaned off, and the writing on the side was completely visable now. The scratches had been polished off the handle and the blade had been sharpened considerably.

"Whoa, this thing looks brand new." Even Link seemed impressed.

"That's not what I wanted to show you." Raynard took a set of keys off a ring and unlocked a door. "Grab your weapon and follow me."

I picked it up and was close behind him. The door led to a small courtyard behind the shop. It looked almost like the wrestling ring the Gorons had in their city. My guess is it was probably for sword practice.

"Take a look at the side of your halberd."

I picked it up in both my hands and flipped it so I could see the writing. It wasn't like what was written in any of the books I'd seen in the library. "I can't read it."

"Not surprised. It's an ancient language that is hardly studied any more."

"You mean it isn't Ancient Hylian?"

"No, even further back than that. It's the language of the people who founded this country long, long ago."

Wait, wait. Did he mean those sky people? I knew the Sky Temple had something to do with that, but I was clueless beyone that little bit of information. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. My ancestors were some of those people. I couldn't mistake that language even if I wanted to." He held his hand out. "Let me see that halberd for a moment, if you please."

I handed it to him and he held it straight up. He whispered something in a langauge that only he understood. A wind picked up and kicked up the dust. I used my arm to shield my eyes. The writing on the handle flashed briefly, then disappeared as quickly as it came and everything quieted.

"I take it you've had a few troubles with this?" Raynard asked.

"A few." I admitted, brushing off some dirt from my hair.

"Do you know what happened?" I had told Link about those few times I'd lost control. He'd been concerned, but assured me we'd figure it out eventually.

"This weapon was crafted with the magic of my ancestors. It was uncontained, but it should be fine now." He handed it back to me. "If you wield it properly, it should prove extremely useful to you."

I wondered what he meant by that, but we didn't have all day to be asking questions. "Thank you, Raynard." I said. "I'll take care of it."

He walked us out to the front and we said goodbye there. Link and I walked in silence back to the twins' house.

For the first time I noticed he was wearing different clothes than normal. He wore a white tunic that was very light. The chainmail was gone and he wore a short-sleeved brown jacket over the shirt that almost seemed like leather.

"Something wrong?" He asked, when he noticed I was staring.

"No, nothing." Why was I choosing now of all times to get flustered around him? We were supposed to be angry with one another.

"...I'm glad you got that figured out. It must've worried you for a long time."

"Yeah. It's one less thing to have to think about."

"One less?... Did something else happen?" There was nothing unusual with the way he asked the question, but I couldn't help but sense something else behind it.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Livius chose that moment to walk out.

"Hello, _pourquita_." He said cheerfully. "Ready to go?"

Of course I'd get interrupted. Still, I took that as a sign to discuss the subject another time. "...Yes. Are you?"

Link stared at me, almost like he was still waiting for me to answer the question. When I didn't, he sighed. "Yes. Let's get going."

We gathered together the last of the supplies and locked up the house. Link had brought Zale into town with him and put my horse into the stable nearby.

I wanted to cry with happiness when I saw the grey-dappled horse dancing around in his stall. It seemed like forever since I'd seen him last and he was as attention demanding as ever.

I giggled when he nudged me for treats. "Okay, I do have something for you, you big goof." I slipped Zale an apple I'd packed earlier and he inhaled it. Then he thrust his nose at my pockets, searching for more."No, no more for you. One is enough."

"That's a beautiful horse you have there." Livius stopped readying his own horse long enough to pat my mount on the nose.

"Yes, and I love him to pieces." I grinned when he bobbed his head up and down. So _cute. _I wanted to melt.

It only took an hour or so to reach the lake, and it was a mostly peaceful ride there. We took the steep trail down to the bottom and left the horses on a grassy ridge. Livius and Siena would be coming back after guiding us through the desert, and would take the horses back with them to town.

Link had talked to Auru the night before. Lucky for him, he was in town instead of at the lake and the cannon was completely prepared now. All that was left was to step into it.

Except I couldn't do it. The thought of being propelled through the air that far of a distance kind of freaked me out.

"What's the matter?" Siena asked, one foot already in behind her brother. We were going in pairs.

I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Nothing."

Was that a snort from down below? I made sure to step on his shadow once or twice, but I'm sure Midna felt nothing. It was worth a shot, though.

"Make sure you hang on tight." The man that ran the cannon slammed the door shut tight and reached for the crank. The floating platform wobbled in the lakewater as the cannon spun and lifted itself higher. I had to plug my ears when the twins were shot out. It certainly was noisy.

Midna popped out of his shadow now, shielding her eyes. "That sure is a long way to go."

"No kidding." The sick feeling was starting to return at the idea of it.

"Before you hop in that thing, I want to talk to you both."

"What is it?" Link asked.

"I know you heard it from the spirit protecting the lake, but do you know the story behind the power I seek?" She checked her nails and looked expectantly at me.

The whole thing freaked me out the first time I heard it. How could I forget a story like that? "Yes. I've heard it before."

"Then you know what happened to the ones who tried to rule the Sacred Realm?"

"They were banished. The goddesses drove them into another realm."

"Correct." She looked a bit sad. Was it because her ancestors were criminals or because she hated the fact that she was even related to those people? "They were forced to live in twilight as mere shadows of Hyrule. This is the history of the Twili as it was passed down from my ancestors. Do you you now understand what I am?" The question was more for Link than it was for me. Midna clenched her fists, angry now. "I am a decendant of the tribe that was banished to the Twilight Realm!"

"So what?" Link said.

"So what? What do you mean _so what_?" Nice move, there. Make her even angrier.

I suppose I should save him before she kills him or somthing. "I think what he means is that it doesn't matter where you come from. He's still going to help you. Right?"

"Exactly. Why do you think that would even make a difference?"

"I...I don't. I'm just trying to say that there's a reason I need to get to the Arbiter's Grounds." Aw, was that a blush? She's just going through the whole spectrum of emotions today, isn't she?

I sidestepped around them and left them to finish their little talk alone. The man had brought the cannon back down to its original position and the door was open again. Before I went inside, I saw Midna touch Link's cheek in a way more than friendly way. The sight of it sent fresh waves of pain and a little jealousy.

Why? Because I knew I didn't belong here. Our relationship had crumbled and whatever we'd had was gone.

I tried to hold back tears when I saw him coming. She dove back into his shadow before the door slammed shut.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I looked down at my feet.

Our conversations had become like a broken record. If that wasn't enough to break my heart into little pieces...

"Hey. Weren't you paying attention?"

"Huh?"

Link grabbed me by the wrist and held onto me tight. "You were told to hold on. We don't want you ending up in a canyon instead."

I didn't know about that. Maybe if I jumped down it would I wake up and find this was all a bad dream.

I'm telling you, the thought was tempting.

The cannon began to move upwards and now I clung on for dear life. Last time hadn't been so bad, but we were going to be shot several miles this time. I was terrified of falling before we hit land.

I didn't even have the chance to scream before we were shot into the air with amazing force. My eyes were shut tight, and I held on for dear life. The ground came up faster than we both expected and we ended up buried in the sand.

"Oof." I sat up and coughed out some of it.

"That could've gone better." He didn't seem to have swallowed any like I did, but it was everywhere in his hair and clothes.

I expected to be able to clearly see the Arbiter's Grounds from where we were, but a light sand storm blocked anything more than a mile ahead. It was almost pointless to try to get off the sand in our clothes. because it was just going to get caked on again.

"What took the two of you so long?" Livius asked. He had sand all over and was half-buried.

"Sorry, Livius. I was a little nervous about the ride over." I quickly replied before Link could say anything. It was scary how good I'd gotten at lying. I felt bad, because they'd obviously gotten caught in the storm while we missed it almost completely.

"Come. We must make as much progess as possible before it gets dark." Siena pulled herself out of the ground.

There was a long, deep canyon that stretched beside us and I wouldn't have seen it if the twins hadn't been guiding us through the mounds of sand that all looked the same. I take back what I said earlier. No jumping into any canyons for me. Nightmare or no, it was a _long_ way down.

"Be careful here. It's slippery." Livius stopped and stuck out a foot into the canyon.

"What are you doing?" I asked, more than a little confused. There was no ground there. Was he going to try jumping across?

"Just watch, _pourquita_." He reached around and took off something that hung on his neck. When I got a little closer, I saw something flash. It was a clear crystal with a inner glow that was bright red. "Siena, if you will."

"Yes, brother." She took off a matching crystal that was glowing blue.

They raised them into the air and the ground began to shake. Sand began to stretch across the canyon's long gap, creating a bridge.

"Now you may cross." Livus put the crystal back around his neck.

"Hold it." Link held a hand out in front of me as I began to follow them.

I froze when I noticed what he'd seen. Small, black worm-like creatures began to pop out of the sand and circle us like sharks.

I reached behind me for my haliberd. "There's so many of them..."

He lowered his voice so he wouldn't attract any more attention than we already had. "I'll draw them out. Stay still and wait until they come at you."

Link's sword was quick as he dug into the sand with it and flip them into the air. They were ugly little monsters, with pincers the size of my hand and lots of legs. The halberd made quick work of them as they came down. As soon as he'd dug them all out, he dealt with the ones that I'd missed.

He sheathed his sword and looked around. "Where did Livius and Siena go?"

Good question. They seemed to have vanished into the storm.

"We'd better find them quick." I said. I'm sure we both we sharing the same feeling. If we got lost out here, we'd never get back.

I cautiously tested the bridge that they'd magically created. It seemed solid enough. We ran further into the storm, but it just seemed to get worse. There was no visibility at all. I couldn't even see Link now.

"I've got you." He reached for me through the sand and wind and pulled me as close as we could get. "Walk forward slowly."

Part of me felt like pushing him away, but the other half wanted to get through the sandstorm in one piece.

_"Vieonos."_

All at once, the storm stopped. The skies cleared and I could see the midday sun. The twins were standing about ten yards in front of us. The crystals were glowing brightly. Then they faded.

"We have to hurry. This magic is only temporary." Siena brushed a bunch of sand out of her hair. "The storms will return soon."

"There's no way we'll make it across this desert before then." Link said.

"I agree. I can see the Arbiter's Grounds, but it's still so far away." I shielded my eyes from the sun. The top of it was rising up from endless amounts of sand dunes, but that was all that was visible.

"Yes. About 50 miles, to be exact." Livius said. "Not to mention the traps and monsters between here and there. The sandstorm itself is also a precaution to keep people away from the grounds."

"Or to keep people in, right?" I recalled those books I'd read at the library. "I read that the Arbiter's Grounds are also a prison of sorts."

Sienna nodded. "Correct. Used for the worst sort of criminals, in most cases." Her red crystal began to glow again. "Come. There's another way to get through these storms."

Another way? There was nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. I exchanged looks with Link and he shrugged. We really didn't have any choice but to follow them, so we did.

The monsters seemed to be tailing us, keeping at a distance. They didn't attempt to attack, which worried me. The heat was wearing me down, and though he didn't say anything, I know it was getting to Link, too. Siena and Livius seemed to be right at home in all this. Being Gerudo, I suppose they would be used to it.

"It should be around here somewhere..." Livius bent down, brushing some sand away to reveal...more sand.

Siena walked right past him and down a slope, vanishing from sight. After a minute she popped her head back up. "It's here."

"Oh. I knew that." He grinned. "Come on. This is our alternate route."

Our alternate route turned out to be trenches deep in the ground, taller even than Livius. The walls were built with stone the same color as the rest of the sand, which is probably why he hadn't seen it.

"Where exactly does this come out?" I asked.

"About a four miles away from the Arbiter's Grounds."

While I didn't know anything about the traps, I knew there would be a group of Bublins camped just outside of our destination. I just hoped that we wouldn't come out right behind them.

The passageway was wide enough not to make me feel claustrophobic, and so far there was no sign of any traps. But those monsters had not stopped following us. They burrowed under the sand above us, but I could clearly see them.

"What are they doing?" Link kept looking up at them as we walked. "Do you know something?"

"No, I don't." I whispered back. "This part is all new to me."

Midna popped her head up from the shadows. "I don't like the looks of those things. You both need to be careful."

The sun was beginning to subside a bit as we continued down through the passage. We saw traps that were broken and rusted over, but none that were really working. Skeltons and bones littered dark corners, some with legs and arms encased in those traps. Several arrows pierced all the way through one skeleton. Whoever that poor person had been, they hadn't lived long.

It wasn't making me feel any better that it had been really quiet now for a while.

Okay, Amanda. Take a deep breath. There's no spring here, so it's not like a giant monster could pop up. I fingered my halberd. It calmed me to have it in my hands rather than let it sit in it's case.

I leaned on it for a moment, brushing my hair out of my face. When it touched the ground, a few of the bricks glowed blue-green.

"What the...?" I lifted the halberd up again and the glow disappeared. Were those...traps? And Link was about to step on one. "Link, wait!"

He stopped just before he walked on it. "What?"

"Back up about two feet and step to the right."

"What for?"

"Just trust me."

He gave me a look, but did as I asked him. "What was that about?"

"I wonder..." Would he be able to see it, too. I handed him my weapon. "Hold this and look down."

Link took it from me and his eyes widened. "Are those traps...?"

"I think so."

"If that's the case, then Livius and Siena are about to step on some." He tossed it back to me and hollered at the twins, who were farther ahead. "Hey! Hold on a second!"

Siena heard Link and stopped, but Livius' mind must've been elsewhere, because he kept going. I swear to you, the moment he stepped on that trigger, I could hear nothing else except the scraping of stone on stone.

"Oh, no."

The ground rumbled and shook sand down on us. When we looked back, the stone had begun to fall away, leaving a bottomless chasm underneath.

Link shoved me ahead of him. "Run!"

We took of down the corridor, keeping well ahead of the crumbling floor. I grabbed Siena and tugged her behind me as I ran past. The corners and walls were used as launching pads to keep momentum.

"Uh-oh." I skidded to a stop. There was a large door blocking the exit. There were no door handles, no chains keeping it shut. Just a large slab of stone with some scribbles. I brushed off some dirt, but I couldn't read what was written.

"Let me try." Siena held her crystal up to the slab, but nothing happened.

Link and Livius came around the corner, and the floor wasn't far behind. I grabbed my halberd and touched the stone, hoping it would reveal something, _anything _within the next twenty seconds. The scribblings turned the same blue-green that the stones had.

It wasn't writing, it was a song! One quick glance and I knew which one it was, too.

The Requiem of Spirit.

I hummed the notes that were inscribed on the stone. A blue light enveloped it and the slab was gone. Siena and I ran up the stairs, just as the ground fell out behind us. We grabbed ahold of some stones that were firmly placed in the ground and turned around to grab Link and Livius before they fell.

They pulled themselves up and we all sat in the sand, gasping for breath.

"That...was close." I said.

"I don't know what you did _pourquita_, but I'm grateful to you. That was quick thinking." Livius pulled himself up and offered me a hand.

"Where are we?" Link asked, standing.

Siena was already up and climbing a portion of the rocks to get a better view. "Exactly where my brother predicted. Four miles from the Arbiter's Grounds."

"Hang on. Can I come up?" I called.

"Let me help you. It's a bit slippery." She called back.

"Don't worry, Siena. This is one thing I know how to do." I used grooves in the rocks to hoist myself up. Siena perched herself on a flat part of the rocks and offered me a hand. I took it and climbed to the top.

The view was perfect. I could see the Arbiter's Grounds and the Bublin camp that was in between. Four towers were placed around it, monsters on each. At least five more Bublins and nine boars with saddles were in the camp below.

More could've been guarding the entrance to the grounds, but I couldn't see from where I was.

"Let's get down. We could be spotted." Siena had seen them, too, and had already started to climb down. I went after her, heeding her advice and watching my steps.

"See anything?" Link helped me off the last bit of rocks.

"A camp of bublins. At least nine." I replied. "There could be more farther in, but I didn't see any."

Livius frowned. "That many?..." He was nearly as scary as Link when he was serious. "Going in there in broad daylight would be suicide. We should wait until dark."

"I agree." Siena said. "Let's set up camp and rest until nightfall."

I had no arguments. My limbs were sore from running, and it was still pretty hot out. The area we were hidden in was shaded by the rocks surrounding us. There were some ruins nearby that contained a small underground spring and we used it to wash the sand off and get water for boiling.

The twins cooked some food, but I couldn't seem to eat very much of it. Forcing myself wouldn't have made it any better, so I just quit while I was ahead.

Siena offered to be lookout for a while, so the rest of us could try and sleep. The temperature lowered as the sun began to go down and Link built a small fire before he sat down against the rocks to sleep. Livius and I were more or less alone now.

"Can I ask you something?" He tended to the fire, tossing a small log on it.

I pulled my knees up to my chest, watching the sparks jump and the shadows dance against the rocks. "Sure, what is it?"

"How did you know that song?"

Uh-oh. In my rush to get us all out of the traps, I'd forgotten that the twins knew nothing of my background. "Oh, uh...I know someone who knows it."

"Only a few Gerudo know that song. Your friend must be someone important." He poked the fire with a stick and watched me carefully.

"You could say that." I tried not to look too terribly disturbed by his questions. No one would argue that the Hero of Time was most definately an important person, but the guy still kind of got on my nerves.

When I looked up, Livius was nearly on top of me. "It's not good to keep secrets, _pourquita_." His face was inches away from mine.

My breath caught in my throat. I wanted to say something, call for Link,_ anything_...but I couldn't. Still, something made me look in his direction. Was he awake? I could've sworn he tensed up. If he was, he was doing a good job of pretending he wasn't.

I hadn't really cared before, but now that I wasn't running all over the place, my clothes made me feel naked. They were a shade thinner than I was used to. It didn't help that Livius was so close.

He stared at me for another minute before he patted my head. "Try to sleep. You'll need your strength."

"O-okay." I waited until he moved before I leaned back against the rocks and closed my eyes. Thank goodness he hadn't asked any more. I'd have to be more careful from now on with what I revealed to people.

I drifted in and out of sleep for several hours. I wasn't used to sleeping upright, so it made it difficult to get comfortable.

Finally, I decided to just get up. Some fresh water might help me sleep better. It was really humid.

When I opened my eyes, Link was standing in front of me, sword at my throat.

"Don't move." He said. "It will only make it worse when I kill you."

* * *

D:


	37. The Arbiter's Grounds

**Author's Note: **Dance practice, vocal lessons, school, friends, work...Life is busy. Hope you guys are doing all right. I'm so tired right now I can barely see straight. I'm gonna go collapse into bed after I post this. x.x

A quick note, though. Make sure you check out Game Informer and NGamer if you want to see more of Skyward Sword before it comes out. They're both doing huge exclusives on it this month. Er, for October. But it comes out this month. xD

**Reviews: **

**LadyxHydrangea: **Oh, no. I don't want your head to explode! D: See, see? I updated!

**princess-of-all-saiyins: **Ah-ha. When I read that, I went "Hmm..That's an interesting idea..." I'd never thought of that before. xD

**XemyPoo: **Or is it? You'll have to keep reading and find out. :3

**MissLozSoue39: **I'd meant nothing happened right away, but you're right. The castle does explode at one point. Thanks for the reminder. :D

**kenegi: **Guess you'll have to read and find out, huh?

**ChocolateMilkLOL:** I'm updating as often as I can, I promise. x.x

**Myriads of Mysteries: **I wish I could, but I can't tell you~

**tsume: **Hehehe...

**AnimeFreak2306: **:D

**Devonlizz: **I updated, so now you can find out. D:

**megzarie: **I'll never tell D:

**merkkari: **Thank you for reading it and I'm glad you like it. Only a few more months till Skyward Sword! owo

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Arbiter's Grounds**

Was I dreaming again? I had to be, right?

"What's going on here?" I wanted to reach up and pinch myself on the cheek to make sure I was really awake. I tried shifting back a little bit to put distance between myself and the blade. "Whatever I did, I-"

"You heard me. I said don't _move_!" I yelped as Link thrust the sword into the rock two centimeters away from my head.

What had gotten into him?

A small voice piped up from behind him. "You missed. She'll get away."

"Don't worry. She's not going anywhere." He had that dangerous look in his eye, gaze never once leaving me.

"...She?" I wanted to peek behind him, but his sword was in the way. And I was afraid that if I moved, he'd take off my head.

The voice did sound kind of familiar, though...

I didn't have to wonder where the voice came from for too long, because whoever this 'she' was peered around Link timidly. My jaw dropped. The girl behind him was not only familiar...she looked exactly like me. Same face, same hair, clothes...everything.

But it obviously wasn't me. I wasn't that much of a wimp.

"Who is this?..." An answer wasn't needed. I could see his face in the moonlight. He was looking at me like I was some kind of monster. "Link?..."

A large lump on the other side of the fire caught my attention. Livius shifted from his side and sat up. He rubbed an eye with one hand, his blanket slipping down. "What's going on here?..."

"I found the source of my problem." Link said,

There was that word again. Was I really that much of a nuisance? "If I'm so much of a problem, then why don't you just kill me now?" Livius was looking at me like I was nuts. Maybe I was, but there was a bit of uncertainty in his eyes along with the anger. Something was up, and I was going to figure out what.

Link lowered his sword, frowning at me. "How could you say that? Angry with you or not, I could never-" I saw the girl weave her arm around his, and he held his head like it hurt. It was like she had him under some kind of spell. What exactly was she?

"I've sensed something weird going on between the two of you the past few days." Livius stood up and dusted his hands off. "Is this where all this is stemming from?"

My double automatically resumed the role of the victim as she reached for him now. "No, she-"

"I was talking to her, not you." He said, staring down at her unflinchingly without any compassion for her sorry state. She blinked and stepped back, jaw clenched in annoyance.

"Yes." I wasn't about to tell him what the argument had been about, but he didn't seem interested.

"I see. And was this why you showed up in town that way?"

"Who cares about that? Come on. How do you know who is really telling the truth just by that?" She was clinging to Link's shoulder now. Ugh. I would never do that. Well, at least I know how stupid I'd look if I did do it.

"I suppose the _pourquita_ there has a point." Livius said.

"Livius..." If he turned on me, too, I had no chance.

The Gerudo observed me with calm grey eyes for a second before walking over to my double. "As pretty as you are, _taegala_..." He stuck a finger under the girl's chin much as he had a few days before and made her look at him. "...you are a fake."

She smacked his hand away. "I think it's you who are the fake."

"Perhaps. But I'm still not about to let this happen." Livius turned and reached into his bag and tossed me a long, thin object. "Amanda! Catch!"

I caught it and stared at it in my hands. It was a long rod with a sturdy handle and an ornate silver perch that held a sparkling red orb. Literally. Sparks seemed to be jumping inside the orb. It was radiating with the same power as the Ice Rod.

"Don't even think about it." Link was back under whatever spell she'd put on him.

Too late. I thought about it. "That's not me standing next to you, and I'm going to prove it." I was getting used to using magic, because I was able to bring up a bright red aura within seconds. Or maybe it was just because I was mad. Either way, it worked. "Livius!"

He grabbed Link from behind, but he was too good. Link shoved an elbow into the Gerudo's ribs, causing him to double over. Now I knew he was strong, but I most definitely heard something crack. He used Livius' stunned state to knock him to the ground and flip his sword back into his hands.

He was coming for me next. If I didn't do something quick, he really would kill me.

"You..." The other me didn't say anything. She just cowered over by the rocks, frightened of everything that moved. "I've had about enough of you."

She stood up, hair covering her face. "Oh really?" When finally she looked up, her eyes were that of a monster's. Blood-red and angry. "Just how do you think you'll get to me?"

Whatever she was, she had a point. Link was going to protect her because he thought she was me. He was already back in front of her, ready to kill me as soon as I made a move. I had firsthand experience with his skill. I would never outrun or overpower him.

Time to try another tactic.

"How could you believe that...thing?" I watched her, and her eyes went back to normal when Link looked over his shoulder at her.

"Amanda would never lie to me. You have. More than once. It's obvious she's the real one and you're the imposter."

His words caught me off-guard. Was this how he really felt? What he wished were the truth? The fact that he'd never told me hurt. But it was only fair, I guess. It's not like I had confided much in him. A little voice inside me said that wasn't true, that I had told him as much as I could under the circumstances, but I knew it was an excuse.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry I kept everything from you. I wish I could do everything over again, but I can't. But there's one thing I can prove here and now to you." I reached around to unclip the necklace Link had given me as a birthday gift. The gold pendant and chain danced in the firelight as I dangled it in front of him. But it wasn't for his sake that I did it. I turned my attention to the thing hiding behind him. "You don't have this, do you?"

She reached to her neck and panicked when there was nothing there. "Th-that doesn't prove anything."

Link turned and backed away from the other me a little. "Doesn't prove anything? If you're the real Amanda, you should have the necklace and know where it came from."

Yes! One point for me, zero for her.

"I-it's the necklace my boyfriend gave me." She was nervous now. Ah-ha. Gotcha. "Isn't it obvious? I came here with it, but you must've stolen it."

"Sorry. Wrong answer." I said.

Her lie was falling apart in front of her and she had nowhere to go. I think it was time to put an end to this. She had more than gotten on my nerves. The rod began to glow and more sparks jumped off of it. I pointed it at her and she screamed, stepping back.

He held his head, and fell to his knees, dropping his sword.

The flames consumed the her, reverting her back to her original form. A phantom. And she was ugly. A purple black cape, blood-red eyes and a lantern in her left hand, much like Poes. Oh yeah, and her hands had claws.

The fire died down and she glowered at me. "You think you've won, don't you? There's more of us around than you think. Don't get comfortable." Her entire body slowly became transparent until all I could see was the lantern. It flittered off into the sky, and I made sure to watch until I couldn't see it anymore.

It was headed for the Arbiter's Grounds. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Is it...gone?..." Link sat up, looking like someone had just knocked him around a bunch.

"It's gone." I said quietly.

Livius held a hand to his ribs as he sat up. "Where's Siena?"

"I'll go find her." Link shook off his pain and pressed a hand to my shoulder to keep me from following. "You make sure Livius is all right. I'll be right back."

He picked up his sword and sheathed it, walking away. I busied myself with getting some medical supplies from my bag so I wouldn't have to look at him. His remarks, made while under a spell or not, still stung.

"Okay, I think I should take a look at that." I said, dropping my things and plopping down next to Livius.

"Really, _pourquita_. What's with the fuss? I'm fine." He grimaced when I poked his ribs.

"Oh, really?" I gave him a skeptical look.

The Gerudo pulled himself up with the help of the rocks. "See? Fine."

"You're stubborn is what you are. I heard something snap when he hit you. You have at least a broken rib or two."

"So? It'll heal."

So?..._ So? _

I give up. All the men here are stubborn as all heck.

"You know, you called me by my name for the first time." I said. "I was surprised."

"Really?"

"What does _pourquita_ mean, anyway?"

"It's a secret." He took my hand and kissed it, winking at me.

I blushed.

"Livius! You'd better come over here!" Link's voice carried through the ruins from where he was on the other side of the rocks.

Livius was a good liar, I'd give him that. He made it look like he broke a rib every week. Link had come back with Siena nearly draped over him. She looked like she'd passed out. Livius walked over to pick up his sister and carried her with no problem. If he was in any pain, it didn't show.

"What happened?" I asked as he set her down.

"She was like that when I found her. Completely disarmed and lying in the sand." Link said. He set down two swords that must've belonged to Siena. "It looks like that phantom attacked her before coming into the camp."

I wondered how powerful it must've been to have gotten through her. Ever since arriving in the desert, she hadn't missed a single monster that approached her. And to get through Link, too...I was beginning to feel more than a little unsafe.

"I think we should keep going as soon as she's awake." I said, picking up the medical supplies I'd left in the sand. "I wouldn't want that thing to come back."

"I don't think it'll come back here." Livius said.

"I hope you're right." I wasn't prepared for another encounter like that.

Link turned and reached for my hand. "Amanda, we really should-"

I evaded his grasp. "Please, don't. I think you said pretty much everything that needed to be said, don't you?" There was pain in my chest, but I shoved it down and put some distance between us. "Besides...what Midna needs is more important right now than any silly thing between us. I came here to guide you through the grounds and that's all. We should stick to that and leave personal business out of it."

I was half worried he'd try to push the topic, but all he said was, "...You're right." He looked as hurt as I felt.

It wasn't like I didn't want to hear him out. I'd been ready to sit down and talk since this morning. But now just wasn't the right time. If something went wrong here, everything could go downhill fast.

"Livius, I told you, I'm fine." Siena was sitting up on her own now, trying in vain to keep her twin from checking her over for the fifth time.

I smiled a little. It was sweet to see Livius fussing over his sister. "You feeling better now?"

"Yes, thank you." She was graceful in her movements as she set her hands on her lap.

"So, can you tell us what happened?" Link asked.

"I don't remember. One moment I was watching the landscape and the next..." Siena trailed off.

"So you don't know what happened."

"It's easy enough to tell you that. Phantoms roam the desert, deceiving travelers. They use their emotions and memories as a means of attack rather then weapons or magic. Though they do use both of those as well." Livius leaned against the rocky cliff next to his sister. "I figured you were well aware of that. Siena was supposed to warn you before we left."

"She never said anything to me." Link said. "Amanda?"

I shook my head. "No, nothing." Or did she? Back at the house, she did tell me to watch my back. But how had the phantom gotten by with Siena on watch?

I could tell that it bothered Livius, too. He was watching his twin sister closely. She wasn't injured, but she definitely was a little dazed. Usually nothing left her sight without her knowing about it. Her eyesight was better than anyone I'd ever seen.

So why had she missed a simple phantom?

"If you have any questions for me, you should save them for later." Siena stood up, still a little wobbly. "If we don't attack that camp soon, we'll lose the cover that night provides."

"My sister is right. Dawn will be coming soon."

We put out the fire and picked up our things, leaving no trace of the camp we'd set up. Siena covered herself in dark scarves and stealthily snuck into a pen holding a few of the animals the bublins rode. She came back with two of them (I think they were boars), saddled and ready.

Link patted the thing and observed me as I slid my knife into one boot. "These things aren't like horses. You sure you can handle it?"

"Just watch me." I used a nearby rock and pulled myself up. The boar-like creature was tall and strong. My feet barely reached around it, but it wouldn't be a problem. Link would be the one jumping on and off. Livius was riding the second one. Siena had her pair of swords and sat behind him. He was riding with me.

"Keep to the left side and watch for arrows." Link said. "Once they spot us, they won't hesitate to shoot."

"I know."

I was only used to riding horses, so I was startled when I tapped the animal's sides and it snorted, jolting forward. It nearly knocked both of us off, but Link was quick and created a tight grip with his legs and feet, keeping us both on.

I recovered my balance and adjusted to the way this boar-like creature ran. It was by no means fast, but if I wanted to break down a fence, I'd have the power to do it.

"Keep it steady!" Link called into my ear over the rushing wind.

I pulled up on the reins a bit as we neared a tower, matching the pace of Livius who was on the other side of the camp. Link fired two arrows in rapid succession. Both hit the two bublins situated on the top of the left towers. Siena's aim with a bow was equally as deadly.

He leapt off and slashed through another bublin. I kept an eye on his position and circled the camp. Siena sliced through another two. That left at least two or three more. But where were they?

I gripped the reins tighter and looked up. There they were, those little pests. Two were still climbing, one had made it to the top and was aiming for him. I turned the boar sharply and did a u-turn, running straight for the tower. The tusks of the creature splintered the wood as I crashed into the structure, and I barely threw an arm up in time to keep it out of my face.

Link grabbed hold of the saddle as I rode by and pulled himself up with ease. Another u-turn and we were back in the direction of the Arbiter's Grounds.

"Where are you going?" He asked when I didn't stop.

"You'll see." I said. "I suggest you hold on."

I kicked the sides of the boar harder and it stopped and reared for a moment. He reached around me and grabbed the reins before the animal took off. I was glad he had done so, because we'd be flying every which way now as we sped towards the grounds.

The pounding of hooves was behind us as we few past the landscape. Livius and Siena must've been following behind us.

"Get down!"

Link grabbed me around the middle as we suddenly slammed into one giant wooden gate, then another. The boar dug in it's heels and stopped, sending us flying. Thankfully, we landed in a pile of sand.

"Ow..." I rubbed my backside. My halberd was sticking up from the sand a few feet away. I'd landed on a small rock.

"You know what?" He coughed up some sand and gave me a look. "You're crazy."

"Maybe." I brushed some sand out of my hair. "But admit it. That was fun."

The corners of his mouth lifted a little bit. Ah-ha. He agrees with me.

"You two all right?" Livius rode up with his twin sister on the boar and dismounted gracefully.

"Just fine." Link helped me up and I plucked my weapon out of the sand. "How much further?"

"It's just ahead now. We'll open the gate for you."

There was a network of small caves we had to walk through before we came out into an open area. The Arbiter's Grounds were fully visible now and they were an amazing sight. Grand spires towered over us, springing from a coliseum-like building. A massive gate with the royal crest blocked our way.

"We're almost there. I can sense it." Midna whispered from the shadows.

"What you're looking for is on the top floor." I said softly, so only she could hear. "And this place is huge.

"You'll get us there." She floated up and rested on top of my head. "I have faith in you."

Livius looked over his shoulder and she dove back down into hiding. "Did you say something?"

I shook my head and bit my lip. "No."

"You're a strange one, _pourquita_. Has anyone told you that?"

"Maybe a few times."

I walked a little further, and a fire arrow whizzed past my ear, singeing my cheek.

Link had his bow out already and aimed for the tower. The bublin dropped it's weapon and shrieked, falling to the ground.

More arrows landed at our feet and he grabbed my hand. "Let's go!"

"We can't get the gate open that fast! There's a passageway to the left!" Siena called from behind us. "Duck behind there while we unlock the door!"

As we neared the gate, Link pulled me sharply to the left and up an embankment. Once safely behind a wall, he leaned out and shot a few more arrows. He must've missed because he narrowly avoided getting shot himself.

"Where did they come from?" I asked, sitting back on my heels.

"They were probably waiting for us the whole time." He rubbed his poor ear, which was now slightly burned. I guess they had gotten him after all. "Come on. There might be more. I'm not taking any chances."

We traveled back farther around the outside of the grounds. It turns out they had whole camp set up. There were pots and pans scattered everywhere, burned out campfires, but...no more bublins.

"That's really odd." Midna vanished inside one of the tents, and popped her head out. "Where'd all this come from if there's only a few guys out front?"

That was a good question. This area wasn't supposed to be abandoned.

"I don't like this." I said, stepping backwards. "I think we should get out of here."

When I turned around, a single lantern swung in the air. Nothing was holding it. Just a single shining blue lantern. Another floated out of one of the tents. Then another from a knocked over bucket. And another.

Uh-oh. Too late.

"What's going on here?" Link asked, eyes darting from corner to corner.

"That's what I'd like to know." Midna said.

"Those are..." Those phantoms. Those were not Poes. The lanterns they carried were different. Plus, Poes looked less like they wanted to kill you and more just like they were dead. I'd seen a few around the city and the lake. Despite the large sickles the Poes carried, they were the least frightening thing I'd seen here yet.

As long as you maintained your distance, of course.

They zoomed towards us. The lanterns swirled around in a circle, as if taunting us to try and stop them. Then, without warning, they split in half. Two circled me and two went after Link.

My feet left the ground, and I felt a bit dizzy as I tried to somehow balance myself. "What is this?" The air sizzled and crackled with magic I couldn't see. I reached forward and immediately got zapped. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to make me pull my hand back.

"Didn't I warn you?" A fifth phantom appeared. A faint outline of me appeared before I saw it's withered face. Or what was left of it. It was the same one from before! "I wasn't finished with you."

"Put her down!" Link tried to run forward, but the phantoms picked him up off the ground and slammed him against the wall a few times and let him fall at least ten feet to the ground.

"Link!"

The phantom beside me laughed at him as he struggled to pull himself up. "We'll be taking her with us now."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Midna snarled. "That one belongs to me!"

Dark energy crackled in her hands and she hurled it towards the spirit creature. The phantom waved it's lantern and I nearly tumbled over as it moved me in front of it and used me as a shield. The shock of the impact suprised me more than hurt me.

"Amanda!" Link was furious, but not at me. "You coward!"

"Me? What of you? Hiding behind a pathetic Twili such as that one."

Midna's eyes narrowed. "What did you just say? Just who do you think you're talking to?" She rushed for the phantom again, but the ghostly creature quickly swerved me back in front of her.

"You dare to try that again, and the same thing will happen." The phantom warned. "You don't want to hurt her now, do you?"

She clenched her small fists and gritted her teeth, but didn't say anything.

"That's what I thought. Shall we be going?"

As if I had a choice.

Link and Midna got smaller and smaller as the phantom yanked me behind it like I was on a leash. I might as well have been, because I couldn't do anything except watch what was going on. Watch the halls and corridors fly by me as we went lower and lower into the Arbiter's Grounds.

We went a floor ot two lower than I remembered. There were prison cells there, and she yanked me into one. A few pits were scattered throughout the room, and I was hovered over the top of one.

"Now hold on a second..."

She didn't wait for anything and dropped me down in there, not caring how far down it was. I tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing to hold onto. I landed in the dirt on my arm and my side.

"Oops. Sorry." The spirit floating above the pit cackled.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, as if I would get a serious answer.

"We can't have you helping Mr. Hero now can we?" If the phantom still had a face, I bet she/it would be smirking. "Don't worry. You'll see him soon. Just be a good little girl until my master summons you."

I had a pretty good idea of who her 'master' was and I was more than a little worried. A door slammed and I heard the click of a lock above me. That seemed kind of unnecessary. Phantoms could just go through walls. Was someone or something else up there, too?

If there was, yelling for help probably wasn't a good idea.

Not that I was the damsel-in-distress type, anyway. No way I was going to just sit there and wait for Link to come get me. I paced the small pit, looking for a way out. There were no vents, no drains...The only way I would be to go back up the way I came in. Er, dropped in. Fell in? Oh, who cares. I was stuck either way if I couldn't think of a plan.

They'd taken my halberd and my dagger which I'd kept hidden underneath my clothes, but they didn't take my pouch. They probably assumed there was nothing of worth in it. I'd never been happier with the person who invented these things than right at that moment.

I took out my Ice and Fire Rods. If I could melt those bars, I'm sure I could get up there. I just prayed I wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention.

"This has to work.." I aimed above me and shot a large pillar of out at the bars. It was so hot that it was hard to look up at what I was doing. The temperature rose several degrees and I was sweating by the time I stopped.

I jumped out of the way as a few pieces of iron came raining down. Now I could look up, and I saw a small hole, not nearly big enough for me to get through.

"Okay, fine. Be that way." I exchanged one rod for the other and shot some ice up at the bars to cool them. They hissed, letting off a little steam.

There were no footholds for me to climb up, so I had to make my own stairs out of ice, which was trickier than you'd think. The flat shoes I'd put on for the sake of traveling through the desert were no good on ice. Of course, I had no idea I'd need to be walking on this kind of surface. I'd made it about halfway up my makeshift stairs before I slipped and slid down to the bottom.

That does it. From now on, I'm going to be prepared for any kind of terrain. This is ridiculous.

Some small rocks and gravel were littered along the bottom of the pit and I threw it on the ice to get some traction. It seemed to work, and I was able to climb high enough to reach the bars. I shoved my weight against them and they gave a little.

"Just a little more..." One more time should do it. I braced myself and rammed into them as hard as I could.

They snapped off and went skidding across the stone floor. I peered over the edge. The pit was part of a larger chamber. The left wall had weird hieroglyphs drawn on the bricks and chains hanging from it. For more prisoners, I'd bet. I scanned the other side of the room.

A figure was hunched over in the corner. It was tall, taller than any human I'd seen, decorated with strange armor and covered in bandages. It's eyes were eerily cold and dead, and...

Oh no.

I jumped back underneath the bars, heart pounding rapidly. Why? Why did there have to be ReDeads here of all places? Sure, they were hidden in walls throughout the temple...but here?

Whoever had ordered me here really didn't want me leaving.

Still...I couldn't just sit still and do nothing. I had to get out of here. And being trapped in that pit knowing it was in the room would be even worse. The ice was going to melt, so I had to make a decision quick.

Wait a sec. I wonder if...?

The ice cracked underneath my weight, and I jumped up out of the pit. I kept to the edge and didn't move. The ReDead was just standing there, solid as a statue. If I got near it, it would leap for me. So I had to try the next best plan I had.

I hummed a bit of the Sun's Song and waited. A minute passed, but nothing happened.

"Of course it wouldn't work." I muttered. "Why would they make it that easy for me?"

My heart was still pounding wildly in my chest. I didn't have anything else except the Ice and Fire Rods, and setting it on fire didn't seem like the best idea. It might come after me. I shuddered. Maybe I could create some kind of wall to keep it away? I was already exhausted from using the rods so close together, but it was my only hope at this point.

I concentrated and created a sheet of ice between the door and the ReDead. I made another one in front of it to box it in. I waited and held my breath, but it hadn't moved yet.

"Phew." I put the rod away in my pouch and tiptoed towards the door, reaching for the handle. It wasn't locked! I was glad I was wrong in what I'd heard for once.

I poked my head out into the corridor and looked in both directions. Nothing. The phantom was nowhere in sight, but I'm sure she was around somewhere. I prayed I wouldn't run into her on my way upstairs. Not that I was scared, mind you.

Whoever this 'master' of hers was, I really didn't care. I was going to make sure things went the right way things time, and no one was going to stop me.

Now if I could only find where they put my halberd.

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Make sure you check out the new poll I put in my profile. It's just for fun, but I was curious to know what you guys think. XD


	38. Illusions

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the longer wait, guys. My sister and I just left on vacation yesterday, and I haven't had time until now to finish this chapter up and edit it. If you haven't seen the poll yet, go look at it. Again, it's just for fun, but I'm curious, too. :)

**Reviews:**

**ChocolateMilkLOL: **I know. ReDeads are the creepiest monsters in a video game ever. At least in my opinon. Of course, it could be because I had a friend who used to pretend to be a ReDead when we were kids. He would jump out of nowhere in the dark and freak me out. D:

**Sapphirepaw: **Thanks. I know. I don't like to write about them fighting either. Let's hope they make up soon~

**Devonlizz: **I want to write about them being happy with each other, really I do! I like it, too! Maybe it'll happen soon~

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Illusions**

"Ow, ow, ow..."

I rubbed my head for the fifth time as I crawled along a narrow passageway. I'd found it after about an hour or searching the seemingly blocked hallway. There were no doors, which had me searching through cobwebs, dirt, and piles of ruined stone.

I'd finally discovered a crawlspace in another jail cell, behind a few skeletons. They'd fallen apart as soon as I touched them, sending the skulls sliding across the floor.

Ew.

It was dark, but I could tell there was a wall in front of me about five feet away. I put my hand out and felt around for it. The stones were loose, and I gave them a slight shove. They gave way and tumbled to the ground.

"Finally..." I sighed with relief and pulled myself out of the crawlspace.

It opened out into another hallway that I didn't recognize. But thankfully there were doors in this one. Doors that my halberd might be behind. I wasn't going to leave without it, so if I had to search all night, so be it.

The first door I tried on my left was locked, and I realized it lead down to the cells I'd just come from. It was locked anyway, and I'm sure one of those phantoms was holding the key. No point in going back down there unless I couldn't find my halberd up here.

There were three more doors in this hallway. One closer to me on the right, one down farther on the left and one on the end. The door next to me was half-covered in scribblings. I reached out to touch it and part of the scribble moved under my fingers.

Hey...this was a sliding puzzle!

Puzzles like this were easy, usually (I'd played with my share of them as a kid), but this one proved to be difficult. Dirt and rust clung to the old thing and it was hard enough just getting some of the pieces to move.

"Ouch!" I jumped back and held my finger. The piece I'd been working on had suddenly come free and pinched me.

There had to be a better way to get these things loose that didn't involve me smashing my fingers in it.

There were no windows to the outside and only a few torches hung in the hallway, so I could barely see the puzzle. And anything helpful on the floor? Forget it. The Arbiter's Grounds were centuries old, if not older, but they were surprisingly well-kept. You know, if you didn't count the holes in the floor upstairs.

The phantom had taken my dagger, too, so it probably was with my halberd. The only place I hadn't looked was...

...Back down in the jail.

I scuffled around with my boots, hoping maybe there'd been something hidden under all the dirt and sand. But, nope. I steeled myself, crawling back into the passageway and sliding quickly through. There was a musty smell in the jail cell that hit my nose as I pulled myself to my knees. I caught myself before I sneezed. Any noise I might make could attract attention. Who knows what kinds of monsters were invisible to me?

Another room similar to the one I'd been in was shut tight. I tried pulling on it, which was no good. It was most definitely locked. I searched through one of the jail cells and came up empty.

I sighed and straightened, rubbing my back. I was still sore from being tossed off that boar and thrown down into the pit. As I turned to leave, something shiny flashed under a rotting cot. I picked it up by the corners and tossed it aside. Hmm...half of a spear. It was no dagger, but it would work.

Before anything could pop out at me from the shadows (there's moaning coming from somewhere), I bolted for the crawlspace and dove into it.

Thanks to the spearhead, I made quick work of the dirt crammed beneath the picture pieces. Now I could slide them easily, and I finished the puzzle in no time.

The finished picture was two stones, both the same. They kinda looked like those drawings I'd seen in that torn page from the library. How strange. That image seemed to be popping up everywhere.

I pulled the door open and a set of keys were hanging on the wall beside a cabnet. Searching the cabnet confirmed what I thought. It was empty, like much of the things I searched. But I had a red potion-not that I'd use it-in case of a real emergency.

Finally, I came to the last door. If my halberd wasn't behind this one, I was going to scream.

The first key I tried opened the door and I stepped inside, shutting the door quietly. A quick look around the room, revealed nothing special. My halberd was hanging on the wall, next to a few spears and a pair of swords. I wonder how old some of these weapons were? They kind of looked like my halberd before Raynard fixed it up.

_Creak._

I stopped. There was no wood in here.

_Creak, creak._

Maybe it was a rat? I kept on walking towards my halberd.

I could almost reach it...

**CRASH.**

A heavy force knocked me down onto my back. I only had seconds to scramble out of the way as a giant axe came crashing down, aimed at my head. I barely got to my feet before it came down again, sending me tumbling.

The clank of armor and lumbered footsteps were scary. I didn't want to look, but I couldn't not. Towering over me was an Iron Knuckle, heavily clothed in sharp-looking silver chainmail and equally strong armor. The axe it held was almost as tall as I was, and twice as wide as anything I'd ever seen.

I scrambled back, reaching behind me for the wall to pull myself up. Now was about the time I wished that I'd asked Hane or something for tips on how to use a weapon properly.

Okay, okay, don't panic. It's not like I really have to fight it, anyway. If I remember correctly, all I have to do is slice their armor off, right?

My halberd was directly above me. If I could only reach it...

The Iron Knukcle raised it's axe and I could see a set of thin straps on the underside of it's arms that held the armor in place. As the axe began to come down again, I kicked over a set of broken spears and grabbed my halberd off the hooks on the wall as it stumbled back out of the way.

I had to be quick now. Even with the heavy armor, the Iron Knuckle was fast. I ran around behind it and sliced a few straps. A large chunk of the armor fell to the ground with a clang.

"Grawgh!" The Iron Knuckle whipped around and nearly took my head off as it swung the heavy axe at me.

I used all my strength to keep my balance as I ducked. The axe's blade created a wind as it went over my head again. The next set of straps were so close, but while the Iron Knuckle was swinging it's weapon wildly around like this, I wouldn't be able to do anything other than jump out of the way.

It grunted and swung downwards, and I scrambled to the side. The axe hit the wall and lodged itself in a crack in the old bricks. I made sure to line up my swing like Rusl had taught me as I chopped of another strap or two that held up the shoulder armor. The Iron Knucle's arms were bare and vulnerable now, but before I could swing again, it pulled it's weapon free.

I stepped back, holding my own weapon like a safety blanket. Wasn't this thing going to quit? I knew the obvious answer was no, but I could dream, couldn't I? It emitted a groan that reminded me of those mummies in old action movies and walked slowly towards me.

I kicked over a tall pot next to me, but I knocked it sideways instead of directly at the Iron Knuckle. It sucessfully caused a split second distraction and I swung at the arm of the giant armored thing. The blade of my halberd slit through the sleeve of the shirt, leaving a large cut against tanned skin.

Wait, wait. It was human?

I mean, I knew that in Ocarina of Time, the Sage of Spirit had been in the armor, but there were no human sages in this time period.

I think it was as shocked as I was, because it stumbled back, holding it's arm. The Iron Knuckle dropped the axe, and I jumped back when it burst into flame and burned up into nothing. It threw something down to the ground, and a brilliant flash made me fall backwards into the wall.

When I looked up again, the Iron Knuckle was gone. I sat there, kind in a daze as I tried to collect myself.

...What just happened?

If I had more time to think about it, I would've but time was already slipping away from me.

I slipped my halberd into it's case, and my dagger into my pouch. Peering out into the hallway, I made double sure there were no more Iron Knuckles. The ceiling was low, and there were no places to hide above me. All the doors were shut tight, so I slipped out and locked the room behind me.

Now that I had my things back, it was time to find Link and Midna. But this place was huge. Where should I start?

I guess starting off with the path I could follow would be the best option. The set of keys I'd collected from the puzzle room unlocked the door I needed to go through. There were extra keys, but no more doors in this part of the basement that used them. Still, it might be a good idea to keep them with me. You never know what kinds of extra rooms I might find. I tucked them into my pouch and continued on.

And on. And on.

Think of the worst number of stairs you ever had to climb. Now multiply that by ten and you've got what I'm walking up right now. It was puzzling to me because I don't remember going down more than one or two extra floors from the ground level.

After what seemed like forever, I could finally see the top. I plodded up the last few steps, breathing heavily.

"Finally..." I sat down and collapsed for a moment.

The stairwell had been almost completely dark, but a single torch hung by small door carved into the strangely-shaped wall. In the dim light I felt around for the latch. I grasped it and was about to open the door when I heard voices drifting in from the other side.

I paused, unsure if they were friendly or not.

"Did you lock the girl up as the master requested?"

"Yes. She was a bit of a handful, but it seems like she's staying put. I haven't heard a thing out of her in the past hour or two."

"Make sure it stays that way. She seems bent on causing trouble."

Got that right. Throw me in a dungeon with ReDeads and leave me there and I'm coming after you.

"I'm going to check on the brat now."

"If she gives you any trouble, come and get me and I'll deal with her."

"Yes, of course."

"What about the other one?"

"The poor hero has no idea there's two more floors underneath us, so he'll never find her until it's too late. I made sure of it."

Too late? What were they planning on doing with me?

"Carry on, then. Report to me if anything goes wrong."

When I realized that the phantom was most likely coming in my direction, I frantically searched for a hiding spot. The stairs were solid stone, so that was no good. I couldn't hide underneath them. Looking over the edge, I spotted a small ledge jutting out from the side. I quickly jumped down there without thinking, and pressed myself against the wall.

I had to cover my mouth to keep from yelling, because I landed on something hard. The light from the phantom's lantern was bright as she floated down the stairs. I could see the edges of her wispy black cloak as she patrolled the room, looking for any evidence that something had been disturbed.

I slowly sank down to hide further in the shadows, being sure to pick up what I'd landed on first so I wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Well, well. What's do we have here? A hookshot.

It had tan coloring instead of the deep blue I was used to seeing and was a regular hookshoot like the one the Hero of Time possessed instead of a clawshot like he had. It was rather heavy, but it could be very useful.

I think I'll keep this. Yay, I get annother new toy.

Oops. I'm starting to sound like him. He's a bad influence on me.

The light of the phantom's lantern had died down, and I felt safe enough to come out of hiding. I put my foot on the wall and grabbed onto the stairs to pull myself up. A shrek floated up from the dungeons below and caused me to fall back down.

Um...I think that phantom just found out I've broken out of jail.

I jumped up again, trying to get a good grip on the stone, but my hands kept slipping. Someone reached down and grabbed my wrist before I fell entirely back down to the bottom. I looked up and saw Link holding on tightly to me.

"Come on, hurry!" He said.

I can't tell you how relieved I was to see him. Link pulled me up beside him with ease and we ran up the stairs and out the trapdoor.

"Whoa!" I skidded to a stop.

We had come out from behind a giant statue and were now standing on the hand of it. I'd nearly tumbled over the edge, but he caught me before I fell. He kicked the trapdoor shut with his foot and picked me up, jumping from the high platform to the ground with a thud. He kept running, doors seemingly just opening for him.

"I can walk, it's okay." I said when he didn't set me down.

"Not yet."

Link stopped abruptly near the edge of the floor and finally put me down, pulling something out of his pouch.

I stared at the clawshot in his hand. "You aren't seriously going to-"

He grabbed ahold of my waist and shot down towards the floor. It hooked onto a lit torch high enough from the ground and we jumped, swinging safely down onto the lower level. Or should I say _Link_ jumped while I was hanging on for dear life.

Well, I guess that answers my question.

He grabbed my hand again and pulled me down into the corner of the room. Sand was pouring out of every crack you could think of, and I tried hard not to inhale it. Link felt along the stones, then pulled me through what a false wall. Inside was a small spring of water and some torches. It looked inviting, but I knew better than that. We weren't safe yet.

"Shh." Link held a finger to his lips.

There was a wierd, ethereal sound that phantoms made when they floated. You had to be absolutely silent to hear it, but I could. It sounded just as loud to me as if someone was pounding on the wall with a hammer.

I held my breath, waiting for it to go away. The noise finally died down, but I didn't feel like moving just yet. "Is it gone?..."

"Midna." Link whispered. "Go check out there, would you?"

She nodded, floating silently out through the wall. She was gone a few minutes before she glided casually back into the room.

"Coast is clear." She stretched and folded her arms behind her head. "That thing is gone for now."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. My muscles ached from running and climbing, among other things. Link looked unhurt for the most part, if a little tired. There were lots of things I wanted to ask, but I didn't know where to start.

"I-"

"You-"

We caught ourselves and lapsed into silence again. Was it going to be this awkward the rest of the trip?

I tried again. "...How on earth did you find me? I didn't even know where I was." Though that wasn't saying much. I'd come to find I didn't know a lot of things I thought I did.

"I almost didn't." Link replied, scratching his head sheepishly. "I overheard that phantom talking to someone and then I followed her."

Midna was staring at me. "What?" I blinked.

"Man, do you look terrible." She said.

How sensitive of her. "Thank you, Midna."

I didn't need a reminder of what I looked like. I could see myself very well in the small pool of water. Hair frazzled, dirt all over my face, clothes, and body and sand in places I didn't want to think that was just from traversing the basement. I wanted to faint when I thought about how long we still had to go.

"Ignoring that comment..." Link said, gving her an exasperated look. "You really don't look so good. We can rest here for now."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Let's keep going." If I went to sleep now, I might never want to get back up.

"So you can collaspe in another two hours? I don't think so. Besides, I'm tired, too. It's a good time to rest. We might not get another chance for a long time."

He had a point. "Okay."

Since there was a pool of water in the room, I took the opportunity to wash my face and clean some of the dirt off of my bare arms. I discoved various scrapes from crawling in that passageway, but they didn't hurt. I was just thankful it hadn't been worse than Iron Knuckle could've killed me.

Now that I think about it, it had been a bit smaller than the normal Irom Knuckle you'd see. And it seemed to know exactly what to do when I came in the room. Finding a human underneath was a bit of a shock, too. Who could've been under all that armor?

"What are you doing?" I asked as I settled down against the wall.

Midna had taken out a small black and red stone and was tossing it up and down. "I'll sleep that as a wolf." Link answered. "I can hardly see the phantoms unless I'm in that form."

"Are you sure you'll be comfortable that way? I can stay awake if-"

"Don't even think about it." Before I could say another word, Midna used the stone and he shrunk down into his wolf form. The grey animal plodded over to me and sat down close by, crossing his paws and resting his chin on them. He opened one eye as if to say. "See? I'm fine."

I sighed and gave in. As stubborn as he was, he sure was adorable as a wolf. It was hard to say no.

It was easier to ignore the eerie sounds that came from the corridors of this place now that I wasn't alone. And with Link next to me on watch, I felt safe enough to let myself drift off into a light, dreamless sleep.

When I finally awoke, he wasn't there. Had he moved to the other side of the room? I opened my eyes more and yawned, sitting up. No...

I shot up in a panic.

Link's sword and shield were gone, as well as her, with no trace they'd ever been there. I looked down at my hands and arms, and they were still covered in dirt. My face was, too, I was willing to bet.

"What the?..." Was I dreaming that whole time? But...it felt so real...

I looked around for my halberd, but it had vanished. I felt sick to my stomach. What was wrong with me? Now I'm seeing people and things that aren't there? Am I losing my mind over all this? And we'd been getting along so well, too.

A billion more questions ran through my mind, but the only thing I could think to do was call for Link. My hands were shaking as I pulled myself up.

"Link! Link! Where are you?"

I ran out from my hiding place in the wall and looked around the room. Nothing but the sand and monsters as far as I could see.

"What's the matter?"

I looked up and there he was on the ledge above me, fully human with his sword and shield strapped to his back.

"Ah, it looks like there was another one." Link jumped down and brushed some sand out of my hair. I hadn't even realized it was there until now.

He wasn't too much taller than me, but somehow I felt really small when he did that. "Another what?"

"A tremor. Something was shaking the room and spilling sand and dust everywhere, so I came out here to check it out."

So that was all it was. The dirt, the sand. Him being gone when I woke up...I should've felt better knowing that, but I didn't.

I hated feeling like this. Like I had no control over anything, including my own thoughts and actions. For the first time here, I was really, really scared. Oh, I'd been fearful of things before, but I'd always had some kind of idea of what was going on.

This...I couldn't handle this anymore.

"What happened?" Link asked.

"Oh..no. I'm okay now." It was an automatic response, but I wasn't expecting the reaction it got out of him.

He stepped back away from me. "You know, I really hate it when you do this." His voice was tinged with both annoyance and anger.

I frowned. "Do what?"

"Pretend like there's nothing wrong when there obviously is. If you think it makes you a stronger person to do that, then I've lost all respect for you."

He brushed past me, disappearing into the hidden room. What had that been all about? His sudden outburst had taken me by surprise. I wanted to stomp and yell back at him, but he had already left, so I settled for sticking my tounge out instead. Yeah. I know. Real mature of me.

So much for getting along.

* * *

If yesterday was awkward, then the past two hours had been downright unpleasant. We were back to barely speaking to each other unless it was absolutely necessary. You'd think that would be a problem considering we were supposed to be working together, but somehow we managed to get through the traps without saying much of anything.

I'd be amazed at our teamwork if I wasn't still so mad at him.

"You two amuse me." She drifted by on her back, looking like she was unaffected by all this.

"Midna, not now." I hopped from one stone to another. I had to be quick because they sank down into the sand if you stood on them for too long.

"No, really. You both are fighting over the dumbest things. And the solution to your problem is right in front of your noses."

"If it's so easy, then you fix it." I snapped.

"Oh I could, but it's not really my problem." She smirked and went ahead on of me, catching up to him and sitting on Link's shoulder.

One of these days, I really am going to kill that little pixie.

My feet landed firmly on the next stone, and it lowered a little more than usual because something was crawling out from under it. Black bugs that resembled beetles appeared by the hundreds as they scuttled over the sand towards Link.

They weren't really trouble, but they could be annoying. I had the urge to let the ugly little critters just hop on him and watch him sink into the sand, but I took out my Fire Rod and burned them up before they reached him.

The fire came dangerously close to his boot and he hopped out of the way. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Oops. My bad." It really was an accident, but I smirked a little at his reaction. An hour or so ago he had waited until the last minute to slice up a nearby ReDead. It scared the crap out of me when he finally decided to cut through it with his sword.

The dead monster fell right next to me, limp hand touching my foot. I'd sprinted about a mile before Link finally caught up to me and stopped me.

I swear to you, that was on purpose.

He grabbed my rod from me as soon as I'd made it across the sand pit. "What was that for?"

"I didn't do anything to you. It was an accident." I snatched it back and stuffed it into my pouch for safekeeping.

"Oh right, because you're completely innocent in all this." I could've sworn I saw him roll his eyes as he turned away from me and walked towards the next door.

"Don't you go starting that."

"None of this wouldn't have started in the first place if you learned to tell the truth."

Link was partly right, but I wasn't going to back down now. "Like you really ever tell me anything?"

"Uh...guys? I don't think you should go in there." Midna floated back a safe distance, acting like the door was on fire or something.

"Midna, this is the only way through." I was getting impatient with her. _She's_ the one who wanted me to go with them and now she was giving me life advice and telling me where not to go?

"No, that's not what I meant-"

She was cut off by the sound of the door opening. He'd kicked it, which was different from his usual method, I suppose. Either way it worked.

"Stay here or come with us. It's up to you." Link said.

She huffed in frustration and floated under the door just as it slammed shut. Bars slid over the door and locked us tightly in the room.

"Oh, no." I tugged on them, but it was no good. They weren't going to budge.

"Where are we?" Link asked.

A giant sword jutted out of the ground, twice the size of either of us. On top sat a very familiar monster. Her dark cloak draped over the hilt and her clawed hands toyed with her lantern as she watched us gleefully.

The phantom giggled girlishly, but it was anything but cute. It sent shivers down my spine.

"I've found you."

* * *

Uh-oh. Amanda got caught because neither of them were paying attention to Midna. D:

The next chapter is almost finished. It would've been done tonight, but it's really late already. In the meantime, review?


	39. Caught

**Author's Note: **I'm not going to say anything here because I don't want to give anything away. Enjoying my vacation and glad this chapter is finally edited and done.

**Reviews:**

**LadyxHydrangea: **Guess you'll find out, huh? :D Glad you're enjoying these last few chapters. Hope school is going okay for you!

**ChocolateMilkLOL: **Midna is a pest, but she is right from time to time. xD And that's the point. You'll have to keep coming back to find out what happens! :D

**kenegi: **Who wouldn't with all the stuff going on? D:

**Diana Lily and Isabella: **Thanks so much! When I was little, a close friend (who is like an older brother to me) used to jump out at me in the dark and make ReDead noises while I ran through the marketplace in Ocarina. It was a cruel, cruel thing to do to a child. TT_TT Hmm...Peahats? You've made me curious. I'll have to test that out.

**bellahelen101: **I hope they make up soon, too. It's more fun to write about happy people. D: I hope school is going well for you.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Caught**

If you've ever done something really bad and been caught red-handed by your parents, you'd know how I feel right now. Except that is most definitely not my mother and all I did was break out of their jail, steal some keys, and oh yeah...freeze and set fire to a lot of stuff.

So, you know...there's really no reason to get mad.

The phantom looked like she was sitting atop a throne with the way she was perched. "Such a annoying pest you are. Whatever will I do with you?" She hopped off of the sword and floated down to ground level, the torn edges of her dark cloak fluttering delicately. "Unfortunately, I have orders not to kill you. ...Yet."

I blinked and nearly missed what Link did next. I heard the sharp singing of a blade and the next thing I knew, his sword was close enough to cut through the phantom with one stroke.

"What makes you think I'll let you near her?" His voice had an alarmingly low tone in it, almost a growl, that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I'd heard him talk that way before, and every single time it was scary.

She pushed his sword down with an ugly decaying claw. "What makes you think you can stop me?"

Link swung the sword in a motion that would've taken someone's arm off, but this is a phantom we're talking about. Phantoms can make themselves invisible on a whim. And that's exactly what she did. I watched the blade go completely through her, not leaving a single scratch.

"Oops, you missed." She twirled around, taunting him.

"Afraid you'll lose if you really fight?" Midna looked almost more furious than Link did.

"If it's a sword fight you want, then I suppose I can oblige you. I may have been ordered not to kill her, but you, however..." The ropes tied to the sword burst into flame and disintegrated into nothing when she lightly touched the hilt of the giant weapon. "I just hope you have the power to see things that aren't there."

She giggled again, as her body began to change. The dark cloak elongated, mixing into black fog that billowed out from underneath the sword, spreading to all corners of the room. The hood of her cloak fell back, revealing horns that were growing larger and a decaying face that was only getting more frightning by the second.

The phantom vanished from the ground up as red runes appeared all along the blade. It was eased from the stone floor and swiped a few times in the air. There was nothing holding the sword, but I knew she was there. Reaching back and touching my fingertips to the handle of my halberd revealed the outline of her. The phantom had become over ten feet tall, but was hunched over by the enormous weight her powerful weapon possessed.

"Link..." I lowered my voice. "I can see her...She can barely hold that sword up. It's too heavy for her."

"I heard that, you brat!" The phantom swung the sword at me like a boomerang.

I ducked, but Link used the stone to transform. Midna hopped on his back and caught the sword with her magical hand, throwing it back at the phantom like it weighed nothing. Go Midna. "Nice try, but next time try throwing it like you actually mean it. This is just sad."

The phantom was barely was able to grasp it as it came towards her, and the force of it knocked her over. Link growled at her and took the opportunity to attack. I kept my hand on my halberd as I watched. He launched into the air and latched himself onto the phantom, used his claws to dig into her skin. He tore at it like it was paper, shreding her back and shoulders. She shrieked, flailing wildly and throwing him across the room. He landed on his feet, her still sitting on top, but hanging on for dear life.

"How...dare you..." The phantom reappeared, leaning on the sword now and breathing heavily. "I'll show you...what happens...when you do this to me!"

She floated up into the air, leaving a huge plume of think black fog in her wake. It made it hard to even see my hand in front of my face. Link and Midna had gotten swallowed up in it. I flattened myself against the wall and reached to grab ahold of my halberd again. Through all the black, I could still see very distinct outlines of the phantom and Link.

"Ugh..." He returned to his human form, wobbling a little. The landing must've been more painful than I thought. "Where did she go?"

Good question. When I took my eyes off of her, I'd lost track. Looking around quickly, I spotted her weaving high above him, ready to strike. "Above you and to the left!" I called, just as she dove at Link.

He rolled to the side, just out of her reach and lunged with his sword. The phantom barely escaped back into the air, but he'd still left a gash on her back that stretched from her collarbone (or what was left of it) to her lower back. She glided around the room in circles now, getting faster and faster. Up into the air she shot like a rocket, then back down.

I waited for the right moment, and then, "She's right in front of you!"

The giant sword came crashing down on the spot Link had been standing, but he was faster and had leapt aside into the air, coming down on her even harder. She dropped the giant sword, clutching her arm. The phantom tried to grab him with her good one, and I watched in awe as he darted out of her reach each time. His skills were getting better and better.

"I will not...be defeated!" She picked up the sword and pounded it into the ground, causing a small earthquake. Both of us fell over, and my grip on my halberd slipped and it disappeared into the black fog. Uh-oh. Without it, I couldn't see where she would come from. I dropped to my knees and felt around for it.

That ethereal sound was back and I knew she was coming for me. My ears weren't as good as Link's (as he so politely put it some time ago), so I couldn't indentify the direction she was coming from. The only the I could do was take cover. The twang of scraping metal made me jump, and I braced myself.

When I didn't feel anything, I opened my eyes.

Link had stopped her in her tracks with his sword, which was now sticking out of her...um, head. The phantom was suspended in midair, as if time had been stopped. She didn't move, didn't blink.

He gritted his teeth and yanked it back out, stepping back. "I win."

She shrieked one last time, thrashing around and dropping the sword. It exploded into a million little pieces and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"You may think you've won, but don't forget that there are things that even you don't know." Her last comment was directed at me before the last of her faded into tiny pieces and drifted off into the air like dust. The phantom's final word echoed through the room as the black fog dissapated.

He sheathed his sword and Midna floated over to smack him on the head like a little child. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"You see? You see what happens when you let petty arguments get the best of you?" Midna was acting like this was the only time we'd never listened to her. "Bad things almost happened."

"Well they didn't, and now it's over, isn't it?"

"What is she talking about?" I reclaimed my missing halberd and got to my feet.

Link didn't so much as look at me as he answered. "Nothing."

After how angry he'd gotten with me for not wanting to talk earlier, his abrupt response was infuriating. I clamped my jaw shut to keep from saying something out of rage. The bars on the doors were unlocked now anyway, and we could finally move on.

"What's that?" Midna floated on ahead into the new chamber that had opened. There was a large, intricately carved chest sitting at the top of some steps. A symbol kind of like a sun hung over it. I squinted to get a better look. Is that a gear?

...Oh, yeah. Link was supposed to get the Spinner now. I would be more excited to see it, but I'm a little irritated at the moment.

I rested against the wall and waited for him to retrieve it. I was kicking some sand around on the floor when he came riding out of the room from above me, using the track that ran along the whole upper wall. He detached the Spinner from the track and came floating down, landing on the ground with perfect balance.

He stepped off the Spinner and picked it up. "This thing is neat."

"I'll say." Midna turned it over, picking at all the little parts with her small hands. "I don't believe I've ever seen anything like it."

I pushed off the wall and clasped my hands behind my back. "There's a track outside that goes up to the next floor."

"Good, because it doesn't seem like that room I found this thing in goes anywhere." I followed him back out to the previous room and he noticed the track right away.

I waited until he had his back turned and was checking it out before I said what I had to say next. "Link...I think this is where you and I should separate." I said quietly. I'd been thinking about it for a while now, and it seemed like the smart thing to do. I avoided his gaze when I knew he was watching me.

"Huh? What are you saying?" Midna asked.

"It's just a straight shot to the chamber you're looking for now, Midna. There's no point in me going." I swallowed a lump in my throat. "I came here to guide you and I did. My job is over."

She seemed like she wanted to refute what I'd just said, but I knew she had no real point in doing so. My job was finished, and I'd done what she'd asked. And neither could Link couldn't argue that I didn't know how to get out of this place, because I had helped him through most of it.

"Fine, I suppose if it's such a straight shot, then..." He sighed and set the Spinner in the track.

I hated leaving him like this, but he really didn't need me to get to the top of this place now. The track was pretty clear about which direction he needed to go. Besides, what if I messed something else up by being there? With such important events coming directly after the boss of this place, I wasn't going to take that chance.

Or maybe I'm just making up excuses not to be around him because it still hurts. .

Midna was examining part of the track closely. "Hey, I've been wondering..."

I turned on my heel to face her. "What is it?"

I felt Link's hands around my waist as he picked me up like a sack of potatoes and threw me over his shoulder.

Midna cackled. "Oh, nothing!" She jumped into his shadow before I could yell at her.

Of all the cheap tricks.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I tried to worm my way out of his grip, but it was no use. He had no intention of releasing me at all. "Do you really think you can just pick me up and take me wherever you feel like it?"

"I just did and yes." Link stepped up onto the Spinner and clicked a switch with his foot, using the ground to steady himself and launch off.

It was amazing how the Spinner kept going without him really doing much of anything. All I heard every now and then were the few clicks of a button he must've been pushing with his foot. At least, that's what I would be thinking about if I was watching from the ground. Instead I was trying not to look at it as we went higher and higher upwards.

He didn't even set me down to open the door. Once it was open (again, with his boot instead of the way _normal_ people do it), he attached the Spinner to the next track and we were off.

I wanted to close my eyes so I didn't have to feel sick about how high we were going, but I was partly afraid of him running into something. Link launched us between several smaller tracks before picking up enough speed to climb up one on the wall. We barely made it underneath a giant spiked bar as we launched into the air and dropped towards the next part of the track.

As we went up and back around, the giant spikey thing was making it's way back at the same time straight towards us. "Watch out!"

He detached the spinner from the track and hopped up onto the small ledge, riding it all the way to the end and jumping over a gate without any major incident.

"If we make it off of these tracks in one piece, I'm going to kill you." I muttered.

"You tried that once and it didn't work. You should quit while you're ahead." Link replied.

We made it up to the door at the top of the room easily, thanks to his good luck. He would argue it was all timing, but whatever. It was luck. The next room was cirular in shape, and had a perfect slot for the Spinner. Old, rusty gears poked out in spots on the floor underneath. And right in front of us was the chest that held the key to the boss' room. He kicked the thing open, tucked the key safely away and then we rode the Spinner down to the ground floor.

He set me down and slipped the Spinner into the hole. "Don't even think about moving." He warned.

Too late, I thought about it.

A wall covered in glyphs similar to the ones on the phantom's sword shook as Link clicked the switch on the Spinner again and again to keep it moving. Dust fell to the ground and it spun behind another wall covered in torches. The open passageway was of course more track and I felt queasy just looking at it.

"Uh, I'll just take the stairs." I said, starting to walk in that direction.

"Oh no, you don't." He grabbed me by the shirt and slung me over his shoulder again, holding onto me even tighter this time.

The track was the tallest I'd seen yet, and the only way to get to the platform in the middle was to launch the Spinner off the wall near the top. I closed my eyes this time so I wouldn't have to look at how high were were going. As comfortable as I had gotten with heights, I'd never been in motion on such a tiny space before. He managed to land perfectly in the Spinner's slot when we jumped from the wall to the platform.

The final piece of the track rose up from the sand and aligned with the stone. This one seemed more rickety than the others, as it hung in midair instead of being built firmly into a stone wall. I ran away from the edge and closer to the wall when he finally let me down.

"There, now. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Link asked, dusting himself off of the sand the old track had brought down on him.

"Why the heck did you bring me up here?" I was fuming over by the door, unwilling to get any closer to the edge. "I told you I was going back to town."

"And just how exactly did you think you were going to get there?"

I hadn't thought of that part. Livius and Siena had probably gone home, and without Midna to warp me somewhere, I was stuck. I sighed. This time, he was right.

"Fine. But admit it, you did that partly out of spite."

"Maybe." That was as good of a confession as I was going to get out of him, so I decided to let it go.

Midna came out from the shadows and floated all around the door. "I'm certain the thing I'm looking for is in the next room." She patted my head and leaned on it, looking down at me. "I'm completely impressed. You know this place well."

"I'm glad you're happy, but if it's all right with the both of you, I think I'll wait here until you're finished with your business." I said.

"It's probably better that you do. I sense something weird on the other side of this door." She agreed. "Do you have any problems with it?"

"There aren't any more phantoms around, are there?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, not that I know of."

"Then you should be safe here, I guess. Nothing else could reach you at this height." Link reached for the key and unlocked the giant chains strung onto every corner of the door. They fell with a large _thud_ and he kicked them out of the way.

"Wait, I..." Angry as I still was at him, I still knew what lay on the other side of the door could very well kill him. I restrained myself from following and just said, "Just...Be careful, okay? I don't know what could be up there."

It was the truth, too. When he went through and the door closed, I immediately wanted to change my mind and go with him, but I didn't have the energy to fight with him or the boss of the Arbiter's Grounds. I sighed and leaned my head against the door. Does this make me a terrible person?

Don't answer that.

"Hmph...How touching."

I opened my eyes and whirled around, but I wasn't fast enough.

Ganondorf smirked as he used powerful magic to yank me off the ground. I struggled against it, but it was no use. I couldn't move a muscle.

He laughed at me as I tried anything and everything to get free. "What's the matter? Didn't you like dungeon I had prepared for you?" Yeah, real homey. I suppose you always use ReDeads as a decorative object?

"What do you want from me this time?" It was hard even to speak, let alone glare.

"How rude you are. Here I invite you into my home and you go making demands of_ me?_" He waved a hand and pulled me back down to his level. His large hand was almost enough to cover my entire face and neck as he grabbed it. "Don't test me."

"I'm not telling you anything." I hadn't before, and my decision hadn't changed now.

He laughed like what I said was funny. "You don't have to. I'll just _take_ what I want to know from you."

I became dizzy as he teleported us above the open-air room where the mirror was kept. I blinked a few times to try to clear my vision. Ganondorf stood on the platform the goddess statute held in her hands. The very one that controlled the mirror.

"First things first. Take a good look at that mirror. It's the last time you'll ever see the fourth piece." He smirked as he pointed at it, hand glowing an ugly purple.

The bottom dropped out of my stomach as the frame began to shake. The last fragment of the mirror came out unbroken, and it floated down to his grasp, becoming covered in the same ugly purple as he was. After a few seconds, it vanished.

This was _not_ good. "What did you _do_ with it?" I cried.

"It doesn't matter, does it? You'll never find it." He said. "As for you...you need to sleep now."

There was no way to prepare myself as he slammed me down into the stone by his feet with all his might. My vision blurred and I saw him reach for me before I blacked out.

* * *

I slowly came out of my haze. My whole body hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before and I didn't dare try to move. I didn't know where I was, but I could feel cool desert air and sand tickling my cheeks and invading my senses. Or whatever senses still worked. I couldn't move my head and my vision was not working as it should. Nothing I was trying to look at would focus, and every so often the thing I was laying on would sway back and forth. Something was covering all of me and it was cold and heavy.

I closed my eyes again and rested my cheek against the ground, trying to find some relief. My immense sickness was probably the cause of the swaying, so there was nothing I could do except pray it go away.

In the distance, I could hear some noises, but there were so far away that there was no way to make them out. The ground underneath me shook and the thing that covered me slid off like a blanket as I felt myself being raised up. It was more sand. I'd been buried under it. My breathing was so shallow that it'd saved me from inhaling a lot of it.

"That's..."

"No...!"

Footsteps echoed over and over as something ran towards me.

"Oh, my..." Midna...it was Midna, wasn't it? Her voice trailed off and she gasped in shock. Was it at me? Did I look that bad?

"Amanda! Wake up! Come on! Please say something! _Anything_!"

Link...I desperately wanted to respond to him, to ask him for help, but I couldn't make my lips move or my voice work. Everything seemed broken.

"Don't touch her. Stand back."

A warm feeling washed over me, and it took away some of the cold from my body. I could pry open my eyes now, but it hurt.

"Link...I..." My voice was hoarse and it was difficult to connect words to form a coherent sentence.

"Hang on, Amanda. I'm going to get you out of here right now and take you to a doctor. You're going to be all right." Somehow I had the feeling that last statement was to reassure himself more than me. He slipped an arm under my shoulders and picked me up off the ground.

Something moved in the shadows. Dread penetrated my heart like icy needles. I pushed him away and tried to get him to let me stand. "No...you have to leave me here. Get out of here now. Go."

"What?...What are you trying to say?" Link reluctantly set me down on my feet and immediately steadied me when I nearly fell over again.

There was a great and powerful pause. The silence was deafening. Even the wind had stopped mid flow. He may have been dark of cloak, hidden in moonlight, but his red hair was unmistakable. His turning towards me only confirmed what I already knew.

Ganondorf lifted his head and a sadistic smile spread over his desert-tanned face. "You should really listen to her, boy." He waved his hand and the door to the staircase slammed shut tight and locked, making the floor shake and a loud boom echo.

I tried to push him in the other direction, but the only thing I managed to do was make him sway a little. "Please get out of here. He only wants something out of me." Or he had already taken it. I had no way of knowing. My memory was fuzzy.

"Are you kidding me?" Link swatted his arm at the night air, serious and determined as ever. "You go on about trust and you expect me to leave you with some psycho who has already nearly killed you?"

"This isn't about trust. It's about you staying alive." How could I make him understand how serious this was? "If you die, then that's it. It's over. No one else can finish this. Not me, not Midna. It has to be you."

Between Link's stubborn will and Ganon's lumbering footsteps growing ever closer, I didn't have time to change their minds. I could see his face now through the pale shimmering of the moon, ominous shadows shading his dark intent.

"What's the matter? Scared this boy might find out the **truth**?"

I frowned. "...I...don't know what you're talking about."

Did I?

"Come now. You don't remember? That hurts." Ganondorf folded his arms and looked and spoke straight at me with a sadistic amusement. "All those times. Those dreams. I saw into them, I knew, and I prepared. Prepared to turn this little story of yours into a tragedy of my design."

"...No!...You can't!...I never told you anything!" He couldn't know. I never once opened my mouth, not even in those nightmares that I'd barely gotten away from.

Then it hit me. He wasn't talking about the few times we'd met before now. He was talking about my dreams about the game. The ones I'd usually have if I thought too hard about what was to happen next. The ones where I'd gone into the past and visited the Hero of Time and the princess. And that happened only too often.

He'd used my own knowledge against me. And I was powerless to stop it.

"...This..." I was speechless. All these changes...they really were my fault. "...What have I done?..."

"All the odd things that have happened... He's been peeking into your head and trying even harder to kill us at every turn?" Midna looked at me surprisingly understandingly. I suppose she'd had things stolen from her, too.

"Ordon... the kids... Ilia, and even Zelda... That was his doing?"

I couldn't look at Link face to face. "...I don't...know anymore..." Everything was so mixed up, it would take forever to sort out what the truth was.

My eyes drifted down to the ground near his boot, which started to move and caused his gear to clank. They followed up to his back and both my senses focused now on the unsheathing of his sword as moonlight caught its blade.

Link's voice was so deep and serious, it stilled any movement I could make. "This bastard is to blame, Amanda, not you. I won't forgive him for what he's done, to us and to you."

"No!" I stepped forward to block his path, forcing myself to look him in the eyes. "Don't! He'll kill you!"

"Stand back."

Unsteady as I was, I scowled and held my ground. "No."

"Midna."

I tried to stop him, but Midna's hair coiled itself around my waist and kept me in place. I used all my strength as I kicked, punched, and bit, but she wouldn't let go. All I could do was watch as Link charged towards Ganon like a bull...

Both hands held firmly, Link swung the Master Sword in a huge swipe that would have cut any creature prior's arm clean off. But Ganon was different. I knew that wouldn't be enough, and I was right. The desert king's gloved arm had completely parried Link's strike. I could hear disappointment in his voice, even from the distance I was at.

"This accursed sword... has lost its power." He sneered at Link and brought his tree of a leg over and across to kick him in the side. There was no time to react, no time to even gasp. Ganon grabbed Link by the collar and hurled him against a pillar, blood spurting from his lips as he hit and slumped down, motionless.

"Stop it!" I struggled against Midna's hold on my waist. "Midna, let me go!"

"You can think of me as a witch, or whatever! I don't care!" She struggled to keep a hold on me, as I kept fighting with an energy that wasn't there. "But he... He made me promise to keep you safe!"

Those words hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt the last of my strength drain out of me completely. "Wh-what?"

I looked over to where Link still lay motionless and something inside me just snapped. I was sick and tired of being used for this man's amusement. This fiasco wasn't really anyone's fault but his, and I was ready to run over there and take him down myself. And with how angry I was becoming, that might've been possible.

"You." I hissed, glaring at Ganondorf. "How could you?"

He only laughed. Laughed at my emotions. Did he even have any of his own? "Me? What of you? None of this would have happened if you hadn't been here. Each of us would have followed that which was predestined."

It surprised me when it was Midna who spoke up, "It wasn't her fault! Even so, things are better with her here! Unlike YOU!"

"M-Midna..." Her words touched my heart and fueled my rage towards the desert king even more. He didn't look too happy himself right now. "Midna, let me go. I'm gonna kick his ass."

She let me go, alright. She placed herself in between me and the rogue and dropped me with a thud. Was Midna really trying to protect me, or was it her pride as the Twilight Princess? I didn't have time to ask, as she dashed towards Ganon with her hair twisted and sharpened into the shape of a blade. She swung her whole body like a ghostly sword, missed, but twirled and evaded his grasp.

My heart sunk when I saw the smirk on his face. "Midna, look out!" I cried. I could only watch as Ganon doubled back quickly and grabbed ahold of her by her hair. He'd used that more than once, and it was a cheap trick.

Completely at his mercy, Ganon ripped her helmet right off her head and flung her down on to the ground, squishing her petite body with his boot. His hand began to tremble and the fourth Fused Shadow crumbled between his fingers. He just stared at me, knowing that I knew the significance of that instrument.

"No!" I pulled out my halberd. This whole thing was falling apart. Without the Fused Shadows...I didn't even want to think about it. Link was down, and Ganon could kill Midna at any second.

Okay. _Now_ I was going to kick his ass. "Let her go, Ganon! If you want a fight, then fight me instead!"

He didn't move. I don't even think he blinked. But I did. I charged at him with my weapon in tow, but Ganon merely stretched his arms out, egging me on. I swung down at him as hard as I could like the executioner I hoped I could be.

CLUNK!

First one, then the other. I opened my eyes and looked to see my halberd resting on Ganon's chest. It hadn't even dented his armor.

Um, yeah. That was probably stupid. Forgetting for a split second that he wore armor. I yanked my halberd back and started to move away. Judging by the look on his face, it didn't even phaze him one bit.

I tried to regain some sort of composure and went at him again, this time trying for an unarmored part of his body.

Ganon's palm caught my blade with ease. He looked like he was being pestered by a fly. I had hurt him, though, I could tell ! Black ooze began to creep from his hand like oil and fell on my boot, m-...melting a hole through the top... Before I could look back up, his right hand-the one I'd injured-had wrapped itself around my head and lifted me up. I dropped my halberd onto the ground and it fluttered and I could hear it spun away from us. But what I saw was only what the gaps between Ganon's pudgy fingers allowed.

"Know your place, girl. You're no longer of any use to me."

His blood... that pungent, acidic stuff was burning my face... And what was worse, his hand started to glow an ominous purple.

I could still speak, and I didn't waste a moment doing so. "I never cared if I was any use to you. I'm not afraid of you anymore, and I will stay here as long as it takes to see you sealed away again."

Was he staring at me with pity? That arrogant...!... and then it was too late for anger, sorrow, or even pain... A white light shone before my eyes and swallowed everything... No sounds, only ringing... ringing...

...And a warm light. I didn't know where it came from, but suddenly the white light was engulfed in a healing gold, touching every part of me like magic. It was, though I didn't know it at the time. It lingered for a few moments before everything went black.

* * *

Where...am I?...

Am I...even alive?...

The last thing I remember was...

The battle with Ganon and the last moments before I blacked out came rushing back to me all at once and I sat up with a gasp.

I should be dead right now. Very much dead. ...But...something had saved me at the last second. I felt a soft heat around my neck and I reached up to touch the pendant. It was pulsing with the same warmth I'd felt not too long ago.

The pendant-the very one Link had given me as a birthday gift-had saved me.

Another thought occured to me. Link and Midna. Had the pendant saved them, too?

I turned around to look, but it was the dead of night and completely dark, save for some starlight. What I could see was that Ganondorf was gone. And the fused shadows lay in pieces on the ground. I felt responsible for that, but it would have to be worried about later.

Midna still lay on the ground where Ganon had held her under his foot. She was motionless and pale, and Link was very much the same. I felt a twinge of panic. No...they couldn't be dead!

I ran over to Midna first. "Midna, wake up." I said, shaking her small shoulder a bit. It didn't affect her in the least. She never moved. I grabbed ahold of the pendant, hoping somehow I could figure out how it worked. Please? Just this once, let something go right for me here... A familiar gold glow radiated from the pendant and covered Midna. I sat back on my heels in disbelief. Seriously? That was it? All I had to do was want it to work and it did?

...Cool.

"Mphh..." Midna mumbled. She looked to be okay for the most part, so I moved over to where Link lay.

It was strange and a bit scary to see him so still. The sight of him being taken down so quickly before was even more frightening. And I'd treated the whole thing like it was some game. I'd done so many things to hurt him and he still protected me.

I burst into tears, my words coming out along with sobs. "I'm sorry...! ...For everything...All I've done is hurt you and Midna by keeping everything from you and then blaming you for my mistakes...and now...I..." I felt the pendant's glow again, but I was too hysterical to notice it. "I..."

A gentle touch. I fell into it like a child, crying now uncontrollably. It was him...To any other girl it might have been a dream, but I wanted to die of embarrassment. After all I'd done, I should be the one comforting him.

"Link..." I whispered. "...I'm so sorry..."

"Shh... It's all right."

All right? "All right?" I shot up from the ground and smacked him (to which he responded to with an "Ow!"). "You didn't listen to me, you jerk! You could have died!"

He jumped up and tried to move before I whacked him again, but I was quicker. I chased him around the room (with him being smart and staying just out of my reach) until we both collapsed back down on the floor.

We had our laughs and our tears and they never seemed more sweet than at that moment. I suppose it was a side effect of almost having died. But we didn't have time to dawdle. We had to do something, but everything I knew had been completely thrown out the window... Both the mirror and the Fused Shadow were gone...

Where to go? What to do? Even if we gathered the three other shards of the mirror, without the fourth, it was meaningless.

"This is really messed up." I said with a sigh, staring over at the empty mirror stand. It looked even more depressing with Midna sitting at the base, slumped over. "The fourth shard is gone...if I hadn't been here..."

"Don't say stuff like that." Midna glanced over her shoulder at me. "Three of the shards would've been gone anyway, wouldn't they?"

"Well yeah, but..."

Just then, a bright spark of light lit up all around us, completely blinding me for a second. My eyes were still throbbing as I pried them open and saw five ghostly men in robes all gathered in front of us.

I gasped.

The Sages had come.

* * *

Yay, they made up. :DDDD


	40. The Next Move

**Author's Note:** Family crisis and now I have a cold. That's why it took so long, guys. Sorry. x_x Also afghbevfjble at all the Skyward Sword trailers and information we've had from different gaming sites. I can't tell you how excited I am for this game. :DDD

**Reviews:**

**ChocolateMilkLOL: **I know. When I first played the game I wondered what they even were. o_O I was hoping they'd be all cool like the OoT sages. ;_;

**kenegi:** They did come a little late. But who wouldn't? Ganondorf is scary. D:

**bellahelen101: **It sure does. But keep at it and you'll be fine. :) Glad you liked the chapter.

**Diana Lily and Isabella: **Glad you liked it. I've been planning that chapter since the beginning.

**LegendOfZeldaFreak: **Haha, we'll see. I have a few ideas of my own. xD

**Foundations of Stone: T**hanks so much! :D Hehe, if you're shouting at the computer, it means I'm (hopefully) portraying the characters well, which is my goal. I don't blame you losing sleep over ReDeads. I just hope they're not in Skyward Sword. I'll have nightmares for weeks.

**Sapphirepaw: **Midna can be sweet when she wants to. She just usually doesn't want to. xD

**Devonlizz: **Yay~ Have some more. :D

**Joe Elf: **I'm glad you like it. Hope you'll keep reading!

* * *

**Chapter Forty: The Next Move**

"Get back!"

Link struggled to get up, pulling his sword from the ground like it weighed a hundred pounds. My necklace may have healed him, but he was far from full strength. I was afraid to think of what other injuries he might have. He hit that pillar pretty hard.

I got to my feet and held him back. Not like he was putting up much of a fight, but better to be safe than sorry. "Wait. They won't hurt us."

In unison, they spoke like a haunting choir. "We are the forgotten Sages... The hammer and the forge of the sword you carry..."

"This is the real reason I brought you here." I said quietly. "You should hear them out."

I was curious myself. We had already seen Ganondorf and what he was capable of. What more did they have to tell us?

One stepped forward from the rest, the crest on his clothing revealing him to be the Fire Sage. Another stood up, this time Desert. "You have lost your path because of your reliance on corrupted magic."

Forest. "Take your strength from our gift, rooted in justice and blessed by the gods."

Another stood up, this time Light. "You have lost your way because of your reliance on dark magic. It is no match for the power of the Triforce."

Link frowned. "The Triforce?..."

"Surely you've heard the legends?" Even if he hadn't, we didn't have all the time in the world for me to explain it all. The light had already faded from the sky and another day had passed. I felt a desperate, urgent need to get out of this place. "Why do you think he is so powerful?"

Shadow. "The young one is correct. "

"That man...was the only man in a long time to be born into the Gerudo tribe, and the leader of a band of thieves that invaded in hopes of establishing dominion over the Sacred Realm." The tales I knew were becoming more and more frightening to me than they ever had been. "He is an evil, ruthless man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

He'd demonstrated that tonight. My head was still reeling.

"But at the same time, he was blind to danger..." The Sage of Fire said. "And thus, he was exposed, subdued, and brought to justice."

"By the Hero of Time." Even though the guy drove me nuts, I had a lot more respect for him now.

"Yes. But by some divine prank...He-Ganondorf-had been blessed with the chosen power of the gods. We had no choice but to confine him within the Mirror of the Twilight." The Sage of Forest seemed to be weeping in shame. "And now he has passed his malice and hatred...his truly _evil_ power onto Zant."

"You're just now figuring this all out?" Midna was sitting in the empty mirror frame, knees pulled up to her small chest, toying with a piece of wood jutting out. "It's far too late..."

"Not completely." I said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Only the true leader of the Twili can utterly shatter the mirror. Zant could merely break it into fragments." The Sage of Light replied.

"Which are now hidden in different places.." Link was slowly putting the pieces together himself.

The ghostly image of the Sage of Shadow nodded. "That is correct. One at the peak of a snowy mountain..."

"One in an ancient grove..." The Sage of Forest pointed in the direction of the woods behind Ordon Village.

"And one high in the heavens..." The Sage of Fire lifted his gaze to the night sky. I wondered how far up the sky city must be. I've never seen a trace of it before. Not even on the clear days.

Midna floated up to lean on his head she the Sage of the Desert continued. "You who are sent by the goddesses, you should be able to gather the fragmented pieces. But you must be prepared, for a dangerous power resides within those shards."

Link sheathed his sword. "I will be careful."

Let's see...The mountain, Forest, and the Sky City...With the fourth shard gone, weren't they missing one location?

"Wait! What about the last one?" I called up to them as they began to drift into the night. "Don't you have some idea of where the last one might be?"

"I cannot see the true location, child. But what I can see I shall pass on to you." The Sage of Light closed his eyes as if to meditate as he floated upwards with the other sages. "The clue to the fourth shard lies in the gift from the Royal Family. Take heed, for the destination is a dangerous place, full of lies and mirrored realities."

Why do these people always speak in riddles?

The sages vanished and the light faded from the room. Midna hopped off of his head and created a portal. "Now that those things are gone, let's get out of this depressing place." She took one last look at the frame of the mirror and sighed. "I really don't see a need to stay here any longer."

"No, there's none." I agreed. I wanted to leave as quickly as possible myself. I had the nagging feeling Ganondorf might be back, and I didn't like it.

I turned to see him observing me closely. "What?..."

"...You really do know everything, don't you?" Link said.

"I told you I did. Why are you surprised?"

He stared at me for another second before he reached for me and hugged me in a way he hadn't in a long time.

"What's the matter now?" I asked.

"Nothing." He released me and offered me a smile. "Let's get back to town. I don't know about you, but I'm tired."

I had no doubt that he was, but there was something he wasn't telling me. "Are you-"

Before I could speak any further, Midna rolled her eyes. "Oh, would you two stop talking and get in the portal already?" She groaned. "You can do all the talking you want later when you're alone and I don't have to listen to it."

At least she was acting normally. "All right, all right. I'm going already."

I must've not been walking at a fast enough pace for her because she shoved me into the portal next to him. I closed my eyes as the side-effects of teleporting began to sink in.

Finally, we were getting out of this place. I just hope the damage done from inside it wouldn't create more problems than Link could handle.

* * *

I wrinkled my nose at the smell of antiseptic and medicine. It made me want to sneeze. More than that, it made me want to run. I always hated the smell of a doctor's office. The idea of someone lying gravely injured or dying in a bed somehow unnerved me. Still, I had a task to complete and nothing was going to stop me until I was finished. This was important.

"All right, Marina. Just one more card and you'll have won." I looked down at the little girl who was sitting in my lap, squinting at the cards in her tiny hands.

"Really? I've never won anything against my brother before!" She stopped frowning at her hand long enough to glance hopefully up at me.

Her brother, barely older than her, smirked. "Hmph. We'll see. I never lose to girls."

Someone knocked on the front door of the doctor's office and I glanced up for a moment before focusing my attention on the game at hand. The hushed voice of the nurse on duty didn't even register as Marina bit her lip and studied her cards.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Hane sounded amused as he peered around the curtain that surrounded my bed.

Link chuckled as he sat down on the bed across from mine. "She is, though I should've known better than to tell her to do something."

"Shh." I waved my hand at both of them, not bothering to look up. "This is a crucial turn."

Marina took a deep breath and voiced her choice. "...Got any fours?"

Her brother's expression twisted into one of shock to one of frustration as he threw his cards down on the bed. "Aww, man!"

The young girl reached over and picked up her card and held it up to me with a smile on her face. "I did it, Amanda!" She jumped up and hugged me around the neck, nearly knocking me on my back.

"What's all this noise?" A woman in her mid-thirties came out with the doctor from the examination room. She tucked a strand of her blond hair behind an ear and smiled as Marina hopped off my lap and ran to her.

"Mommy! I finally beat Flynn fair and square!"

"Did you now?" Her mother, whose name was Jayann, shot a knowing look at me before turning her gaze to her scowling son.

Flynn sat cross-legged on my bed, arms folded with the sullen look of a little boy who'd just realized he'd been beaten at his own game by his four-year old sister. "She got lucky." He muttered.

I grinned. "Three times in a row?..."

I saw the rage in his eyes as he scooted off the bed and jumped to the floor. "You'll see! I'll beat you next time, so you'd better be ready!" He shot one last scowl at me before stomping out the door.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on them, Amanda." Jayann said, holding onto Marina's hand and clutching her bandaged one-the reason she'd come in the first place-close to her chest. "Flynn must've been a handful."

"Nah. I have two younger brothers and a younger sister. I know all the tricks." I picked up the cards and handed them back to Marina. "Make sure to practice and you'll get better at beating your brother, okay? But play fair."

Marina took the cards with her free hand and nodded. "I will. It's no fun when he cheats."

I'd caught Flynn sneaking a few cards out of his sleeve, the little cheater. Of course I'd put a stop to it and restarted the game.

Jaya leaned down to her daughter's level. "Okay, honey. We should get home. Say bye-bye to Amanda."

"Bye-bye, 'Manda." Marina waved as she followed her mother.

I smiled at the nickname. I hadn't heard that since I was a kid. My own siblings had used it when they were small and couldn't say my full name. "Bye, Marina." I waved back as they walked out of the clinic.

"What a sweet kid." Link said.

"She is." I agreed. "I hope that taught her brother a lesson."

"I don't know about that..." Hane said as he watched them out the window. "Her brother seems determined to beat her again."

"Marina will be fine. She's tough." I smiled. "Besides, I taught her a few tricks, just in case."

"Sorry to keep you waiting." The doctor coughed to announce his presence, and clasped his hands behind his back. "My nurse will run the tests and handle things here. I don't work overtime." He yawned for effect. Yes, we get it. You are supposed to be off work and in the bar drinking yourself into oblivion right now. Good grief.

How this man ever became a doctor I'll never know.

"Some doctor." Hane was still as upset as I was about the whole Zora incident.

I rolled my eyes. "Did you notice how he hobbled out? I saw him walking just fine earlier when a noblewoman came in."

"Please don't be too hard on him." The nurse said. "He's a brilliant man, but he has a terrible work ethic. The other nurses and I are always trying to get him off drinking, but we've had no luck so far."

That was fine with me. I felt safer in the hands of someone who hadn't racked up a huge bill in Telma's bar.

"Now, why don't you come into the exam room with me and we'll run some tests so we can see exactly what injuries you have, if any." The woman smiled and held open the door for me. As I walked past, she turned to Hane and Link. "You two wait here. Friends or no, she's still a lady and deserves her privacy."

I waited until she shut the door before hopping up onto the examination table. It made me feel self-conscious to have people watch, even if I was close to them, so I was glad the nurse had insisted the exam be private.

"I know the young man out there was the one who brought you in..." The nurse sat down on a stool, grabbing a chart from the counter. "But I can tell you're in pain. So, why don't we start by a simple checkup and we'll move on from there."

The woman was good. She went through the paces of a normal checkup, something that used to intimidate me as a child. I longed for the gummy candy my dad would buy me as a treat after. But the nurse was careful and friendly, and it went faster than I expected.

"Can you tell me what hurts?" She asked.

"I'm just a bit sore, is all." I replied. "My head hurts a bit, but I don't think it's anything serious."

"I'll be the judge of that." The nurse stood up. "I'll need to use magic to check for anything I can't see. You'll be a little sleepy when it's over, but it doesn't hurt."

After all I'd been through with Ganondorf, I wasn't too thrilled at the idea of someone I didn't know using magic on me. Link had gone through the same procedure earlier and I'd seen him resting after it was over. He'd slept for a long time, but he seemed fine now.

"You a little nervous?" I must've looked it because she was smiling sympathetically.

"Yeah." I admitted.

"I do this all the time, if it makes you feel any better. Though you're the first woman I've really had to do this on. It's mostly knights that need an exam this thorough."

Does that mean Hane has been in here before? "I'll be fine. Just warn me before you do it."

"Lie down for me." She said. I did what I was told. The examination table was cold and I resisted the urge to shiver. "Ready?"

I nodded. There was a flash, and I must've blacked out for a time because it was over when I opened my eyes. I could only see a fuzzy outline of everything. Well, I suppose the nurse had warned me it would be like that.

"How is she?" Link was nearby.

"She doesn't seem to have any internal injuries..." The nurse flipped up a page on her chart, writing a few notes to herself. "But I want her to stay overnight because of the head injury I found. Just to be safe."

Here? In a place that reeked of medicine and sickness? Oh, no no no. That wasn't going to happen. I tried to sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the table. As unbalanced as I was, I almost fell off.

"Whoa." Link had to hold me upright. "Didn't the nurse tell you not to move for a while after it was over?"

"Please, can we just go back to the inn?" I longed to be in a familiar place and the inn in the village was as close to a home as I had here.

"You won't be in a condition for traveling for several hours yet." The nurse finished her paperwork and slipped it into a cabinet. "Because your body hasn't had enough sleep, this is draining on you."

My body protested at my being awake and my eyes seemed to want to close on their own. I fought it, but exhaustion swamped me. The room didn't want to stay still. I had to lie back down before I became sick.

"I'll be here when you wake up." Link said.

"Mmm." Was all I could get out.

I fell asleep again. When I woke up, I was in one of the beds out in the main room. The curtains were drawn and it was dark, but there was a bit of lamplight coming from somewhere in the place.

The nurse was back in an office, humming a song quietly to herself as she worked. Other than that, it was silent. I propped myself up against the pillows and reached for the water that was on the side table.

A shadow crept up from the corner of the room and across my curtain.

"Kyaah!" I scrambled backwards, nearly falling through the fabric and onto the floor. What was it now? A ghost? A monster?

Nope, It was Link. He pulled back the curtain with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry. Did I scare you?"

"A little bit." Actually a lot. I had gotten more jumpy than before thanks to the previous day's events.

He pulled a chair out from the hall and set it next to my bed so he could sit. "I don't blame you after everything that's happened. I'm a little uneasy, too."

I'm glad I wasn't the only one. It made me feel like less of a coward. "It's not so much that...I just don't like doctor's offices very much to begin with. Something about them just bothers me."

"I was surprised when Midna was the one who suggested we both get checked out."

"I know. It's kind of out-of-character for her, isn't it?" She normally just told us to deal with it. I half-expected her to pop out of nowhere like she always did and say something to that effect, but it remained quiet. "Where is she, anyway?"

"She insisted that she had somewhere to go, but I think she just wanted to be alone for a while. She did lose a part of her home when that fused shadow was crushed and the last shard of the mirror vanished."

Another wave of guilt settled over me, even though I knew these things were supposed to happen to some degree. "I'm sorry. If I had told you about all of this in the first place, maybe it could have been avoided."

"No...You did try to tell me something was wrong. More than once...Maybe not outright, but you did." Link said. "I just wasn't listening."

Wasn't I supposed to be the one saying stuff like this? "Link..."

"Just...hear me out, would you? I promised I'd protect you, and I failed to do so. For that, I am sorry." He sounded way too stiff and formal, like he was issuing an apology to a stranger.

"Like I've told you before, it's not your job to do that." Suddenly he was way too close for comfort. I scooted back a few inches and put some distance between us.

He must've realized he had upset me because he quickly added, "I know it's not, but I care about you and I don't want to see that man-or anyone else for that matter-hurt you."

"So I'm supposed to just sit here and watch you get killed?"

"I want you to stay. I never said I wanted you to leave. It'd be better if you didn't right now."

Of course not. "But-"

"I know you want to, but it's just not a good idea. There's too many things that could go wrong."

I sighed. He wasn't going to change his mind, was he? I guess I didn't have a choice. "Okay."

"You'll stay then?"

I nodded. "Yes. Until I find a way home, I'll continue to stay here in town and help you in any way I can." At least it wouldn't be because we were on bad terms this time. I was sad that I wouldn't be traveling along, but I still would do anything for him.

"No, that's-" It was Link's turn to sigh now. "Why isn't anything I'm trying to say coming out right?" He muttered. "Let me try this another way." He got out of the chair and went down on one knee like I'd seen knights do for royalty and nobility.

I moved back, startled." Link? What are you-?"

He stopped me mid-sentence by taking one of my hands. "Amanda...I'm not asking you to stay in town. That's not what I meant, nor what I want. I want you to come with me. But not because I think I have to look after you, or because anyone told me to, or because I think you can't handle yourself. You're the toughest woman I've ever met." He looked me straight in the eyes now. "It's because _want _you to come. Will you?..."

I looked back at him and knew without at doubt that he was speaking the truth.

...I'd misunderstood. I'd been wrong.

And for once, I'd never been more happy about it in my life.

I couldn't help but smile ridiculously at him there down on the floor. What was this? A proposal? But I had to admit it was adorable and he was incredibly charming. What could I say other than, "Yes. Of course I'll stay with you."

We'd come far since I first arrived here. From casual acquaintances, to being friends, to...I didn't know what to call what we were now, but I knew I trusted him and he trusted me. All the trivial stuff that was preventing this kind of relationship before was gone and it felt good.

Really good.

"The only problem now is..." I waited until he was up off the floor and sitting in the chair next to my bed before I continued. "I have no idea what Ganondorf meant when he said the Master Sword had no power anymore. That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Can you remember anything at all that might help?" Link asked.

"There's one story in which the sages gave their power to the sword, but if the sages could have fixed it, then they would have done so already." There were no mentions of Earth or Wind Temples in any other story than the Wind Waker, so we were out of luck in that area.

"Do you think there are any other sages that we don't know about?"

I hadn't thought of that. "Hmm...I guess it's possible. You could ask the princess."

"I don't suppose you mean the princess from this time period?" He asked hopefully.

I shook my head. "Afraid not."

"Oh well. I suppose we'll run into them eventually anyway." By 'them', I assumed he meant the Hero of Time and the Princess that wasn't trapped. "We'll talk to them when we see them."

I yawned. "I just hope they don't decide they want to talk_ tonight_."

"You and me both." He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up.

Did he plan to sleep there? A quick glance over at him and I had my answer. I grinned. He was already falling asleep, probably determined to stay there all night. I reached to the end of my bed and grabbed an extra blanket, draping it over him before I pulled my own covers back up and snuggled tightly underneath them.

For the first time in a long while, I was going to get a good night's sleep.

* * *

"He's so cute!" High pitched squeals filled the room.

A giggle. "Just look at how easily he flies across the arena!"

"And he's fast, too!" And more squealing.

I had to cover my eyes. I couldn't watch any more of this. Link used his clawshot to fly across the arena and collect little colored lights. When he let go, he nearly dropped towards the spikes littering the floor. Before he could hit the ground, he shot the clawshot in my direction and grasped onto the cage easily.

"Scared you, didn't I?" He asked, hanging on with one hand and the toe of one boot.

"Yes, now stop it." I frowned at him but he just grinned.

The man running the attraction sighed impatiently. "Twenty seconds."

"No problem." He zipped quickly up to the top, then pushed a button to lower himself onto the center and collect the last two. He tossed them up and down in his palm while he walked out of the cage.

"Now he's just showing off..."

"You be quiet!" The oldest of the three girls that had been clamoring excitedly for a while now spoke up angrily.

"Yeah! You're just jealous he's good at it!" The younger two spoke in unison. "Unlike _you_!"

They stuck their tongues out childishly and turned their noses up in a motion that reminded me of Beth. Just what I need. More of her running around.

The girls squealed when Link stepped out of the cage and surrounded him much like the village children did when he did something they thought was cool. He didn't seem to know how to handle the attention from the young girls as well as he did with the boys and was getting flustered.

I was trying hard not to laugh, but I couldn't keep my shoulders from shaking as I forcefully held it in. If Link could win instant fans just by doing this, then imagine what would happen if they actually saw him with a sword. Of course, these girls can't be more than twelve. Oh, to be young and have a crush on someone you have no chance with.

Uh, right. I suppose I should save him or something.

"Okay, I think that he's had enough of the spotlight, girls." I tugged Link out of the tight circle they'd created around him. "He's already got a swelled head as it is."

"What'd you say?" The oldest girl's eyes were literally sparking with anger.

I stepped back. Yeah. What_ did _I say?

"All right, that's enough." He patted the child's head and she beamed. "Let's get out of here before then turn on you." He whispered, pushing me towards the door.

"I-I'm going to redo it so you'd better come back!" The man said as he closed and locked the cage.

"Anytime." Link tossed the last orb over his shoulder as I watched as the man fumbled with it and nearly dropped it. "Make it harder next time, though."

The man turned all shades of colors as we exited the tent. It was hard to tell what emotion he'd settle on before working on the next stage. With Link's luck, he'd probably end up with the entire _cage_ covered in those tiny spikes.

"You are a mean person." I said once we were out of earshot.

"Come on, it was at least little funny." Link was making a face that was similar to the one I'd just seen on the man running the attraction.

I tried to stay serious, but it was hard to resist when he was so cute. "Okay, maybe a little. But you could've gone easier on him. We were supposed to be going to the bar and you had to completely trump the poor man at his own game."

We'd been walking past the giant tent when the man practically jumped out of nowhere and coerced Link into trying his new invention. It hadn't taken much, though. You should've seen him. It was obvious he'd been wanting to try it for a while.

"Hey, he's the one that insisted I try it." He said. "Besides, I can't help it if I'm good at it."

I laughed. "I give up. You sound like those children." I lifted my foot up to avoid a chicken that was running around the open-air market. "Where's Hane? Wasn't he supposed to leave with us and go back to the village?"

"He had a few errands to finish with some of the other knights. He'll meet us with the horses soon." Link glanced at me as I kicked around some of the loose rocks on the cobblestone road. "Are you nervous about what those two will say to him?"

"...Yeah. I didn't exactly leave there on the best terms with Maya or Jillian. I wish I could talk to them myself."

"I know, but trust his judgment, okay? Let's just focus on what we're supposed to do next."

We'd both risen early this morning and discussed our options. The decision was made to stock up on supplies and talk to everyone we could about the shards before picking a destination. Because of how crazy everything had gotten, my knowledge wouldn't necessarily be correct. Doing some extra checking was the smartest thing to do right now when so many things were still unknown.

"I know. It'll have to do for now." I hoped.

The bar was lively, as usual. A few knights sat in the corner, drinking away their worries. The mailman was crouched in the back behind a table, squinting at a letter. The rest of the tables were filled with normal townsfolk. And back in the same area as before was Rusl and his band of fighters.

Why was he still wearing that weird helmet?

"Hello, Link honey." Telma smiled warmly as she dried off the top of the bar. "And Amanda, too. I see you're feeling better."

"Much, thank you." I replied. "Where are the twins today?" It was strange not to have them walking around the bar and serving the customers.

"Yeah, come to think of it, I don't see them. I wanted to thank them for their help in the desert." Link had told me the whole story earlier. It sounds like they'd helped to get rid of the rest of the phantoms after I'd been thrown in the dungeon.

"Ah, they're working in the back all day today. The storage room needs a thorough cleaning." She hung the towel on a rack and reached for a bottle of whiskey. "You can go back there if you'd like. Just be sure to mind all the boxes."

"We'll stop back there before we head out then."

"Well, now." Rusl finally took off his helmet. "We haven't seen you two around in a few days. Did you see anything interesting at the Arbiter's Grounds?"

We exchanged glances. "You could say that." Link said.

"Do you know anything about them, Rusl?" I asked.

"Afraid not. If you want to know, you'd have to ask Auru." He patted him on the shoulder. "Well, old friend?"

"Hmm...The sages, you say?" Auru leaned on his elbows thoughtfully. "They once served the royal family, actually. They were appointed as tutors to the young Princess."

Well there goes any theory that they could have powered up the sword. They didn't seem to have anything to do with it. I guess I was going to have to ask the Hero of Time for help, after all.

Darn it.

"It was from them that I first heard tales of the accursed mirror in the Arbiter's Grounds. I'm afraid that's all they told me, though."

"I see."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"No, no. It was a big help." At least I knew what not to go looking for. I'd take any solid information at this point. "I think I'm going to go talk with the twins for a bit." Maybe they'd know a little more than Auru. The desert was their home after all and the sages had been waiting there.

Or maybe I was just grasping at straws.

"Sure. I'll ask around here for more information and get a route up to Zora's Domain while you do that."

I left him to do that and went around the counter to the back storage room. Livius was behind a pile of boxes sorting through a few of them. Siena was using a broom to sweep the floor.

"Hello?" I knocked on the door before I entered.

"_Pourquita_!" Livius straightened and smiled. "It's good to see you! Come in!"

Aww, I guess the use of my real name was a one time thing. I stepped over a few of the smaller boxes and saw pieces of dark glass all over the floor. "What happened in here?"

"My darling sister knocked over some boxes on herself and broke some of the empty bottles in them." He said, picking up one of the heavier ones and shoving it against the wall. "She doesn't look it, but she's a terrible klutz."

Siena? It didn't seem possible. Not after the way I'd seen her fight in the desert. I noticed the bandages on her hands and arms from what were probably cuts. "Oh Siena, that looks terrible. Let me help you with that."

"I thank you," She replied as I reached for one of the boxes. "But I'll manage."

Livius hopped over his row of trash to be taken out and dusted himself off. "What brings you here today? You look like you have something you want to ask."

He's pretty perceptive. "Actually, I wanted to know if you knew anything about the Sages."

"The Sages?" Siena leaned on her broom as she rested for a moment. "What makes you think we'd know about them?"

"Link and I happened to meet them in the Arbiter's Grounds. I was just curious, that's all." I didn't say anything about the Master Sword. It seemed like a better idea not to include that little detail.

"Even if you did see them, it doesn't really concern you, does it?"

I frowned. There were chips of ice in her eyes. What had brought that attitude on all of a sudden? "Well, no, but-"

"So stay out of things that you don't have any business asking about. It'll get you into trouble." She dumped the last of the glass into a garbage sack and picked it up, walking out the back door into the alley.

"What was that about?" I asked.

Livius sighed. "Please excuse my twin, _pourquita_. She's not in the best of moods today. She's been acting strange ever since we came back from the desert."

"Do you have any idea why?"

"No, but I'm sure it's just because she's tired." He said. "I wish I could tell you something about the Sages you say you met, but I'm afraid I don't know much of anything."

"That's okay, Livius. I really should be going anyway. I just stopped in to say hello."

"It sounds as if you're leaving again." Before I turned to leave the room, he grabbed my hand and kissed it. "You be careful now."

I tried not to look phased by that, but it was hard not to be. Wouldn't you be if a guy that looked like Livius did that to _you_? "I will."

When I came out from the back, Link had just finished tracing a route onto his map and folded it, tucking it away safely . "Oh good, there you are. We'd better go meet Hane before he leaves without us."

He thanks Rusl profusely for helping him and we headed back out towards the barn at the edge of town. As expected, Hane was waiting for us. We got all our supplies together and started our journey across the large expanse of field.

We rode along with Hane until we reached the point where he needed to go in the opposite direction.

He stopped his horse at the bridge we had to cross. "I had a few of my friends clear the pathway up to Zora's Domain, but be careful. The trail is steep and probably not good for the horses."

"We'll go on foot then." Link said. "Epona and Zale can handle themselves for a while."

"I think Ashei is there, but I'm not sure. She should be able to tell you more about Snowpeak. If I happen to see her, I'll let her know you're looking for her."

"Thanks, Hane."

"And Amanda?"

"Hmm?" I was trying to focus on where we were supposed to be going, but it was hard. I felt like I should be going back to the village and talking to Maya.

"Don't worry about Maya. Or Jillian. I'll talk to them. But you owe me if she uses that frying pan..."

I laughed a little. "Okay."

Link and I waited until he had gone a fair distance before continuing on our way. It didn't take long to reach the base of the mountain where Zora's Domain lay. Or did it? I was too lost in my thoughts to notice.

"Are you coming?" Link asked, already on the ground. Epona had sat herself down in the grass, legs tucked underneath. It was cute to see her acting almost human-like.

"Yeah, sorry." I swung my leg over and slipped off of Zale. He sat himself down in the grass, too. I reached into my pocked and offered both the horses apples before I followed Link up the trail.

I had to hold in a gasp when we reached the top.

"How pretty!" It was my first time seeing this place and it was nothing like remembered. It was better.

The waterfalls flowed down from the rocks gracefully into the large pool of water and splashed tiny droplets of it into the air. It hung off the moss and plants like tiny, sparkling jewels.

"I'd love to swim here. It looks like fun." There were rocks that were perfect for diving and some that almost seemed like water slides.

"Maybe we come back here and do that after everything is all over. You know...before you go home."

I smiled. "Maybe. I'd like that."

"Aman...da!"

I turned and saw a little Zora girl running towards me, her large eyes wide and panicked. "Hey, It's Siri!"

"The Zora girl that was with the prince?" He asked.

"Yeah. I wonder what's wrong." I said as she came up to us.

She gasped as she tried to form words, but couldn't manage a full sentence. I bent down to hear her better. "Ra...lis...is..."

The air above us exploded and sent ash and dozens of small rocks and debris raining down on us. The Zoras in the area scrambled into the water and the guards on duty ducked for cover under alcoves.

When everything settled, the royal guards scrambled into action.

"Someone is in the throne room! Stop him!"

"Protect the prince!"

They were wasting their efforts. The cause of the explosion was coming down towards them at high speed. A cloaked figure bowled them over like they were merely dust and headed in our direction.

He was gunning for Siri!

The clang of swords filled the air as he met the man halfway and halted him in his tracks. The attacker slid his sword out and pushed him away, attempting to get past, but he regained his footing and swung at him. He jumped into the air and did a backflip to avoid the blade, putting him right back where he started.

He rushed forward with the same speed he'd used going down the hill, and he was barely able to get his sword up in time to block him. His boots dug into the dirt as he struggled to hold him back.

"Get her out of here!" He grunted underneath the pressure the cloaked man was exerting on him. "Go, now!"

I grabbed Siri's hand and yanked her behind me as I ran around them and towards a cave on the other side of the water pool. The guards usually stood there, but even without them, I knew the entrance to Snowpeak when I saw it.

"Whe..re...ar..e..we...going?" She rasped out as she ran along beside me.

"Some place where we won't be seen." I said. "But you have to keep quiet."

She nodded. I looked back and didn't see either him or the cloaked man. Where had they gone? The cave was in front of us now, but I hesitated. A spout of water shot up from deep under the pool and he ground shook. She shrunk down to the ground and covered her head.

"It's okay. Come on."

I pulled Siri into the cave and sealed it with a wall of ice. The temperature immediately dropped several degrees and I wished I'd worn some heavier clothes. The wind blowing through the cavern was knocking the icicles against each other creating a jingling sound that reverberated around us, blocking out everything but the musical chimes.

I steeled myself against the burst of snow that hit me as soon as we made it out the other side. I strained to hear anything; to see if anyone was behind us, but the noise of the storm was louder. Just to be safe, I covered the exit of the cave with another wall of ice.

"I'm...c...old..." Siri shivered and danced in place.

"I suppose I'm not helping, huh?" I put my Ice Rod away and looked around.

The snow was thick, but from the top of the ledge we stood on, I could see a large expanse of water that stretched farther than the snow would allow me to view.

Hmm...There was a cave a small distance up the mountain, if I remember correctly. If I could get Siri to it, it could hide her well enough for the time being. The mansion at the top of Snowpeak was way too far to even consider.

The snow cushioned our fall as we jumped down each small ledge to the bottom. Siri slipped a little as I pulled her quickly along onto the large discs of ice that floated on the water. The ground underneath us was far from stable, but I swallowed my uneasiness and kept going.

I made it about halfway across when I stopped. Was that ice breaking? My instincts screamed at me to run, but the noise made me hesitate.

That was a mistake. The cloaked man crashed into me and I fell onto the ice.

"Siri, run!" He had an iron-clad grip on my ankle and did not intend to let me go.

The Zora, wide-eyed and scared, took two steps backwards and stopped. Why wasn't she running? I rolled onto my back and used my free foot to kick at him. The man grabbed it and picked me up off the ground, tossing me aside like trash.

Siri backed away more as he came closer and closer to her. I reached into my pouch and pulled out my Fire Rod, shooting it directly at the ice underneath his feet. It melted and he fell into the water, but I knew that wouldn't be the last of him. My boots kept slipping on the ice as I pulled myself to my feet.

"Beh...ind you...!" Siri managed to raise her voice enough over the wind.

I turned and saw the man reach onto the ice and hoist himself back up onto it. He stood up easily, as if the dunk in the freezing cold water had been nothing but simple exercise.

The heavy cloak had fallen away, swallowed by the icy water. The attacker's physique was much smaller than I'd imagined for someone so strong. Even through the dark clothing they still wore, I could see something I hadn't before.

He was a _she_. It was a woman.

And she was determined to get through me, no matter what the cost.

...Just who exactly was this person?

* * *

More mysteries, mwahaha. Or are they?~

I'll give a cookie to anyone who can decipher the clue at the beginning of the chapter and guess where the fourth shard is. D:


	41. Ashei

**Author's Note: ** November already? Sheesh. Uncharted 3 just came out, Skyward Sword in a few weeks...where does the time go? (And it'll disappear even faster now that I have Uncharted...I adore this game. Get ready to get your online butts kicked by a girl, boys. =D Woo!) If you've never heard of, or watched anything Uncharted-related, what are you waiting for? There are no words to describe how amazing this game is. Just Youtube "Uncharted 3 Launch trailer" and go buy the game!

**Reviews:**

**whosahassa: **Whoops, my bad. I'll fix it when I get around to it. Thanks for catching that. xD (I've played all the Zelda games since I could hold a controller and Ocarina when it first came out. Shame on me for that mistake. I should know better. Dx )

**kenegi:** You're on the right track. Keep guessing!

**LegendOfZeldaFreak:** Hmm. I'm not saying a word. Read on!

**ChocolateMilkLOL:** YES! (kidding xD) I'll do my best!

**nerf-battles:** It's tempting, but Amanda isn't the type. xD She's loyal to her boyfriend, while Link is loyal to Ilia. That said, they're pretty close with each other, too. Which is part of why things are so complicated. xD;

**Joe Elf:** Hmm, yes and no. I'm not saying any more than that, because it'd give something away. Keep reading if you want to find out!

* * *

**Chapter Forty-One: Ashei**

Chips of ice flew past my cheeks as I narrowly avoided getting my head taken off by the spear the woman threw at me. It dug into the solid block like it was a soft pile of dirt.

I slipped and slid as I scrambled to my feet and ran in between Siri and her attacker. I was barely in place three seconds before the woman retrieved her spear and leapt into the air, pointing the tip at my head.

"Hah!" The clang of metal against metal made my ears ring.

When I dared to search for the origin of the noise, I saw Ashei standing in front of us, a large sword raised above her head in defense. The attacker was kneeling on top of it with unbelievable balance, her spear barely making a dent in the well-crafted weapon.

With grace and ease, the woman flipped backwards onto the ice, not even sliding an inch backwards. The landing spoke volumes of her skill and control as a fighter, but Ashei was ready as the woman took control of her movement and dashed forwards again, determined to break through to the little Zora that was hiding behind me.

I took hold of Siri's hand that was clinging to my arm and backed her up several feet as Ashei met every attack, blow for blow. She didn't even break out in a sweat, not that it would've been possible in this kind of weather. Despite the incredibly large sword, she handled it as well as a smaller one, even using it to her advantage as the attacking woman tried to land in a few cheap blows.

Ashei grunted as she was forced backwards by an especially strong blow. The woman didn't even flinch as she landed gracefully on her feet.

"Get back onto the bank! I'm going to try something!" Ashei yelled over the howling snow and wind.

I didn't waste a second as I turned and picked Siri up like a small child and leapt across the broken ice chunks towards a large snow bank. My face felt numb as I squinted through the blanket of white at the two fighters.

Ashei shoved the woman back and took her large sword in both hands, firmly plunging it into the ground at her feet. I heard a cracking sound and then without warning, the ice exploded, plunging upwards and turning into twenty foot tall spires as the center collapsed on itself, sending whatever was standing on it into the dark, icy water.

I threw my arm up as if it could protect me as waves of freezing cold lake water came down on top of us. When I looked back up, Ashei was standing waist-deep in a snow drift, trying to pull herself out. She must've landed there when she jumped off of the breaking ice.

I moved over to where she was and offered her my hand. "Here."

She seemed grateful as she accepted it. "Thank you." When she pulled herself out, snow clung to every fiber of her clothes, save for the chainmail.

"No, thank you. You saved us. I was running out of ideas."

"Don't thank me just yet." Ashei replied, attaching her heavy sword to a harness she wore on her back. "I believe that woman is still alive. We should get out of here before she comes back."

I couldn't agree more. Still there was one problem. "How are we supposed to get back across? I melted half of the ice and you broke the rest of it."

Her lips curved upward in a slight smile and she motioned for me and Siri to follow her. "There's a small path that curves along the cliffs. It's well-hidden, but it's there. Try to match my steps. You don't want to fall in."

She was right. There was a slim strip of land that followed the curve of the tall mountain cliffs. Ashei's steps were careful and deliberate, as if she expected the ground to collapse beneath her at any second. I did the same when I felt the snow shift ever-so-slightly beneath my boots. Siri had let go of my arm and was walking on her own.

When we made it to the other side, I was able to relax. The woman had broken through the ice barrier I'd put up with no problem. It was lying in pieces at below my feet as we walked into the cave. Not like I expected anything less, but the sheer power of the mysterious woman was truly amazing. She didn't seem to be using anything other than her own abilities. I shuddered at the thought of her with magic. Not only would she be unstoppable, but she was obviously not on our side. That was a bad combination.

Warm air blew at me as we came out of the cave on the Zora's Domain side. Siri gasped when she saw her home, and I had to keep myself from doing the same.

The beautiful towering rocks were sliced in half and had sunken to the bottom of the pool of water. The water was littered with dirt and debris just floating there because the waterfall that flowed down to the boathouse was stopped up.

The normally calm Zora guards were frantically directing others and helping to clean up the mess in the area, but I had a sinking feeling this wasn't even the worst of it.

"Ral...is!" Siri turned and dashed up the hillside towards the top of Zora's Domain.

"Siri, wait!" I reached to stop her, but she was quick.

Ashei and I ran after her as she bolted up the steep incline. I was nearly out of breath by the time we caught up to her at the top. Siri stood there, unmoving, then crumpled into a heap on the ground.

The devastation was terrible. The beautiful and intricate walls that surrounded the pool had been smashed to pieces and the pillars in between had been broken almost completely through. Only a few were left intact. Giant scratches that resembled claw marks were all over the place. Zoras lie everywhere on the ground, injured or almost dead.

"How could one woman do all this?..." I let myself trail off because I honestly couldn't think of anything else to say.

Ashei wore gauntlets, but I could see her nails digging into her clenched fists hard enough to break through the fabric. "The next time I see that woman, I'll take her head off. She'll pay for this."

The bluntness of her words shocked me. My first impression of her was that she'd seemed like a woman of few words-much like Sienna-but maybe I'd been wrong. Her armored boots clanged against the stone as she walked further in, muttering multiple curse words under her breath.

Two Zora guards rushed past Ashei and towards Siri.

"Miss Siri! Are you unhurt?"

"Thank goodness you're all right. The Prince was worried about you."

"Is Prince Ralis all right?" I asked as the guards helped the little Zora to her feet.

"Quite. A young warrior stepped in just in time to protect him from the giant black beasts that descended upon the throne room."

Black beasts? There couldn't be more of those Twili, could there?

The Zora guard nearest to me added, "You must be the girl he was looking for. He asked us to find you and bring you to him."

"Bring me to him? Is he hurt?" My mind began to run over the possible scenarios before I mentally kicked myself in the butt. Get your head out of the gutter, Amanda.

"Not particularly. He was asked to stay with the prince, so he was unable to locate you himself."

"Please, come this way." The other guard, Siri in hand, bowed slightly and gestured for me to follow.

I gingerly stepped over the broken stone and debris, being careful not to step on any of it. It all looked delicate enough without me making more of a mess.

The throne room may have looked like just one big circular room surrounding the water, but when I moved closer, I could see the colors of the stone and swirling design give way to a secret hallway, with several branching corridors and passageways. It was a clever way to protect the Zoras hiding within those walls, and it seemed to have worked. The area was completely untouched.

The guards led us down a wider, longer hallway just to the right of the main one and stopped at a room with grand double doors. Siri didn't even bother to knock and burst into the room.

"Ralis!" The young Zora's voice was clear and strong as she rushed to the Prince's side.

Ralis, who was seated in a high backed chair, stood and met her halfway. "Thank the goddesses you're all right, Siri. Are you unhurt?"

She nodded. "I'm fine."

The prince turned to me and bowed deeply. "I thank you for getting her to safety, miss. I was frantic when I did not see her."

I wasn't sure how to act or what the customs here were, so I just bowed in return. "Thank you for saying that, but it's really Ashei deserves all the credit. She saved me and Siri from that woman."

My actions didn't seem to bother him in the least. No, he seemed pleased. Even moreso when I brought up Ashei. "Ashei? I see. So that's who I heard all the way cursing down the hallway." He smiled apologetically. "You'll have to forgive her. She has always been that way. Ever since I can remember."

"It's all right. She doesn't bother me." Quite the opposite. I had a lot of awe and respect for her just after seeing that short fight.

The doors to the connecting room opened and Link appeared with Midna.

She pointed and snickered. "What happened to you?" Midna asked, floating in circles around me.

I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck like an animal and held her up. "Don't ask." I said before dropping her on the side table next to me.

"Geez. _Touchy_."

You would be too if you were soaked head to toe by icy water. "What happened here?"

Link had a towel around his shoulders and he dropped it on my head now in an attempt to dry me off a bit. "I would tell you, but I'm not quite sure myself."

I must've been shivering because he draped it around my shoulders like a blanket. The warmth of his hands made me shiver even more. "Whoever she was, she sure wouldn't give up on Siri. We were lucky that Ashei showed up when she did."

"Do you perhaps have any idea of why some random woman would be after your betrothed, Your Highness?" Midna folded her arms and sent a pointed look in the Prince's direction.

Ralis and Siri exchanged private looks meant for one another. I'd often see Maya and Hane do the same, as if they were speaking some language that no one else could hear.

"Yes. Siri is my betrothed. We have been since birth, but that has only been a burden on Siri. She knows secrets that no other Zora has heard, and I believe that is what that woman was after."

"Pardon me for asking, your Highness..." Link said. "But what could she possibly know?"

It was Siri who spoke this time, in a weak, but steady voice. "...The secrets of the ancient mansion atop Snowpeak. The mansion once belonged to a respected family who guarded ancient manuscripts and predictions from the sages."

Ancient manuscripts? That sounds promising. "Are they still there?" I asked.

Siri shook her head. "I don't...know. The mansion is believed to be cursed, so...people have stayed away from that place. No one has been up there in at least a century."

"The curse is said to be dangerous enough to drive you mad, so unless you have business there, you'd best avoid that place." Ralis said firmly.

"A curse? Tch." Midna obviously wasn't buying it. "I think you just don't want anyone up ther-ow!"

Both Link and I tugged on her long orange hair to shut her up. Now wasn't the time for her usual attitude. She scowled up at us as she rubbed her head.

"Whether you choose to believe it or not, it's the truth." Ashei piped up from behind us as she leaned with her back against the doorframe. "Not only that, the place is said to be inhabited by a large beast that loves Reekfish. The Zoras have told me stories of it sneaking down here during the night to steal a few. I managed to catch a glimpse of it the other night."

"Do you have a picture of it?" Link asked.

"I'm afraid I only have a poor drawing to show you." She reached underneath her heavy fur poncho-like clothing and procured a drawing.

Poor drawing wasn't doing it justice. It was a bunch of scribbles in the shape of Yeti, with a few details drawn in.

Midna darted in between us and snatched the paper from Link, holding it up to the light. "Poor drawing? This is more like a bunch of scrib-"

We both knocked her on the head and Link snatched it back when she loosened her grip.

"I admit I'm not the best artist, but I had no other tools with me at the time." Ashei said.

It wouldn't have mattered if the picture was a blob with fur drawn all over it. Link knew that I had at least some vague idea of what it was and how to find it. "No, this is very helpful. Thank you."

Ralis sighed. "I see you are intent on going up there."

"Yes, I am." He replied as his gaze met mine. We both were, and I think Ralis could sense that. Too much was at stake not to go. A silly little Yeti shouldn't stop us.

The curse rumor did make me a little uneasy, though.

The prince reached for a piece of deep pink jewelry that I had not noticed before. "In that case, I shall lend you my earring. With it, you should easily be able to lure out that beast. And perhaps you shall be able to at least find your way up the mountain. I could even show you the best spot to fish for them, if you would like."

Link bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Your Highness. I'd appreciate it."

"You should stay here and get into dry clothes before you become ill." Ashei said, turning to me. For the first time, I noticed she had changed into dry clothes and stripped off the heavy armor she normally wore everywhere. "There's a small hot spring here where you could warm up."

I had no complaints about the suggestion. After being on that mountain, warm water sounded heavenly. "Sure."

"Come on, then. I'll take you there. The halls all look the same, so it's easy to get lost."

Siri scrambled to follow us. "I'll come, too!" She said, clasping my hand and pulling me out the door with her.

"Take your time." Link was smiling slightly at Siri's attachment to me.

"Okay." I tossed the quick reply over my shoulder as the Zora continued to pull on my arm.

Ashei was right. The halls all looked exactly the same. I didn't know how far in we'd gone before we arrived at a large open room . There was a partition surrounding half of the spring, probably to make guests feel comfortable. Though I really had never seen any one else other than Ashei visit Zora's Domain.

"I've been visiting the Zora's so frequently that sometimes I end up staying here overnight." Ashei said when she noticed me examining the blocked-off area. "They put that up so I'd be more comfortable when I bathed. Feel free to use it, yeah?"

"Thank you." I moved around the partition and slipped out of the wet clothes and into the warm water. I let out a sigh of happiness.

I heard a splash on the other side and knew that Siri had jumped in. The tapping of boots on the stone said that Ashei was going to wait for me.

"So..." I said, swirling some of the water around. "How did you come to be a knight, Ashei?"

"My father was one of the most respected knights in Hyrule. So it goes without saying that he would wish for a boy, yeah? But my mother gave him me instead."

"So you're saying he wished you were a boy?"

She continued as I reached for the soap. "No. He wasn't disappointed at me being a girl. He was a tough man, but he loved me, regardless of my gender. I was the one who loved watching him train. My father was thrilled when I wanted to learn."

"And your mother approved of this?" I could hardly see my mother approving of the things I was doing. I couldn't imagine a proper lady like Ashei's mother even considered it a possibility.

"Of course not. She wanted me to be a lady, yeah? But I insisted and she finally gave in." She was quiet for a moment before she said, "Not long after that, my mother fell ill. We moved to the mountains so she could breathe fresh air, but it did no good. She died a month later."

"Ashei..." I felt guilty for bringing the subject up now. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring back bad memories."

"Don't be such a girl. If I hadn't wanted to talk about it I would have told you straight out."

Ouch. Talk about blunt. Still, I appreciated her honesty. It was refreshing. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind. So you trained with your father in the mountains even after that?"

"Yeah. He didn't want me to go through all that competition between the other knights-in-training. My father was tougher than any of the trainers they had at the Castle. He didn't give me any special treatment in regards to my daily training. There was not a night when I didn't go to bed bruised and sore."

I reached in my bag for my fresh set of clothes. "But you enjoyed it."

"That I did. He taught me multiple combat skills and techniques. I tried my best to live up to his expectations. I passed my knight's trial on the first try. My father couldn't be prouder. The shock on all the other men's faces was hilarious."

I smirked. "I bet."

"When the castle got attacked, I was away with a few other knights. I didn't have a chance in hell to help my father. And those bastard knights I was with, if you can even call them that, ran into hiding. Truly brave men died that day because no one would help them. And the ones who could didn't get there in time."

I stepped out from behind the partition, fully dressed. "The resistance is doing all they can now. No sense in thinking about the things that could have been. And Link won't even give up, either. Please trust him."

Ashei regarded me quietly. "You think highly of him."

I smiled. "Yes, I do."

"And he of you. I've seen the way he looks at you."

"We're just friends, Ashei."

"Did I say anything about that?"

I grimaced. She was right. I walked right into that one. I followed her out of the maze of identical hallways and back out into the fresh air. Several groups of Zoras had begun to clean up and rid the water of debris. It made me sick to see the destruction, but it seemed like things were well underway to getting rebuilt.

Link was sitting on one of the banks with his fishing rod, concentrating intensely on what he was doing. It brought me back to the first days when he went fishing for Sera's cat. He seemed like the old ranch hand I remembered. I giggled.

That caught his attention. "What's so funny?" He asked, smiling a little himself.

"You sure you don't need Sera's cat to help you with that?" I knelt down next to him on my heels and rested my chin on my knees.

He took his free hand and shoved me off balance. "Quiet."

The fishing rod that Colin had made him almost yanked out of his hand and he quickly turned his attention back to the task at hand. He pulled up on the rod as he reeled it in and a second later he held up a rather large salmon-colored fish.

Link grinned. "See? I found one just fine."

I shook my head. "Didn't Prince Ralis help you, though?"

"Shut up." He took the fish off the hook and set it in a bucket. "Now all that's left is to follow whatever trail that monster might have left."

"It should be fairly easy to spot, although I'm not sure how long the trek up the mountain will take." With all that snow falling, it could hinder things significantly.

"We should get going then before it starts to get dark. I doubt either of us wants to be stuck in that storm overnight."

"So...you're really going...up there?"

I turned to see Siri peering out from behind a nearby rock. She abandoned her hiding spot and came over to cling on my arm instead.

"Siri..." I kneeled down to her level. "There's nothing scary up there. Don't worry."

The Zora vehemently shook her head. "Yes, there is! ...Why won't you...believe me?"

I would have definitely remembered any stories like that, but of course, I'd been learning new things about this place everyday, so what Siri said may very well be true. "I'm not saying I don't, but-"

"You can't go! You can't!" To prove how serious she was, she threw her arms around my neck like a little child and refused to let go.

I sighed. This was one determined little Zora.

Midna, who had been sitting on the rocks above us, floated down. She yawned at the young girl's theatrics like they were nothing. "Kid, you have to let her go. You can't do anything about it." She shrugged. "And if she dies, she dies. It's part of life."

Oh, good. Thanks for your help, Midna. You always know just what to say.

Siri looked like she wanted to cry. "But-!"

Link stopped her before she could protest another second. He placed a hand on her shoulder, much like he would do for Talo or Colin when he needed to talk with them or settle them down. "Siri, she'll be safe with me. There's no need to worry."

I held my breath while I waited. She stared at him for a long while before whispering. "Promise? You have to promise."

"I promise. No ghost or curse or anything will get to her." He had always been good with kids, but it seemed his magic charm worked on Zora children as well. Siri looked like she felt a little better.

"Although you did let those phanto-ouch! _Why_ do you keep doing that?" Midna rubbed her head as we both yanked on her glowing orange hair for the second time that day.

Neither of us dignified her behavior with an answer. Seriously, she has no sensitivity when it comes to these types of things. Absolutely none, I tell you.

Siri turned to me. "Do you...still have the circlet I gave you?"

I nodded. "Yes, I do."

"It twists apart into pieces and can be used as a key for some doors in that mansion. Use it if you find places or things you can't get into."

"I will. Thank you, Siri."

"...Be careful." She said. "...Heed my warnings."

It was hard for me to say no to the Zora and leave her behind, but I knew I had to help Link. We waited until Siri had gone back up to the top part of Zora's Domain before heading into the cave. Link hid behind a tall rock as he transformed into a wolf. He spent a while studying the Reekfish before leaving it and following me through the cavern.

The icy wind cut through my thick clothing as I stepped outside the cave. Even dressing differently didn't protect me from the cold. Link seemed to be fine, but then again, he had thick, warm fur all over his body.

He stuck his nose into the ice and snow and sneezed. I had to laugh at that. But he seemed to have picked up the scent of the fish and was hopping across the ice chunks in the water.

"You coming?" Midna asked when she noticed me hesitating.

"I have to go around. I can't jump like that." I said.

"Well, hurry up." She turned and followed Link across.

I followed the small strip of land that Ashei had showed me a few hours before. They were waiting for me on the other side and we continued our trek up the mountain.

The strong snowstorm made the visibility nearly zero, but Link was able to see any monsters that tried to attack. Which were thankfully nothing more than ice bats. He quickly dispatched them with his teeth and we kept moving.

As we climbed higher and higher up the mountain, the snow let up and we could see patches of blue sky.

"Phew. How high does this mountain go? I'm getting tired."

I pulled myself up by the branch of a pine tree and let out a breath. Midna was comfortably sitting on Link's back and had been since we started climbing steeper hills. Poor Link was getting tired, I could tell. He gave me a look before glaring at her and letting out a snort.

"Higher than this." I bit my lip and tried not to say anything snippy. "If you want that mirror shard, we have to keep going." I let the pine branch in my hand flip back upright as I let go of it. Some snow flicked in her direction.

"Hey!" She cried.

I could've sworn Link was laughing -or at least his eyes were-as she swiped furiously at her orange hair to rid herself of the evil white stuff.

"Lighten up, Midna." I grinned. "Or this will be a long trip."

I walked up the hill towards a ledge overlooking the area we'd just climbed. From there, I could see the everything...and at the same time, nothing. The low cloud cover obscured the view of the bottom of the mountain and Zora's Domain. But the clear air where we were allowed us to see the full mountain range and all it's snow-topped peaks.

"How beautiful!" It looked like a painting. Like maybe if I reached out and touched it, it would smudge. "From up here...it looks like there's nothing wrong with the world."

"Looks can be deceiving." Midna came up next to me and sneered at the view. "There's probably not a part of those peaks untouched by something evil. And if there's not, there will be. It will swallow everything, just as it has below. Nothing is safe from that."

"Aren't you a bit cynical?" I asked with a slight frown.

"Aren't you a bit naive? The world isn't as nice a place as you think." She turned and floated in the other direction without so much as a look at me. "Come on. Enough sightseeing. The view isn't that great anyway."

Link and I exchanged glances and I shrugged. She was getting stranger and stranger by the day. You'd think after I told her I knew where the shards were she'd perk up some. Or maybe I just don't understand her as well as I thought I did.

We'd taken about two steps before something exploded out of the snow. It snatched Midna out of the air and threw her down on the ground.

"Argh!" Midna yelped as the attacker from earlier appeared out of the white and put her heeled boot down on her head, with the heel close to her face.

"Midna!" I tried to take a step forward, but the heel only dug in more.

"The circlet. Where is it?" The woman's voice was low enough that I could barely hear her, nor recognize it.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I knelt down to place a hand on the wolf next to me, who was snarling at the woman. Link was more than ready to take her arm off and I was ready to let him.

She smirked. "Going to play dumb? Have it your way." The woman snapped her fingers and white wolves came up out of the snow like the undead. "I'll just take it off your body when you're dead."

The two wolves circled us, eyeing Link like he was food for them. They came back around front and Link leapt in between me and them, using his long tail like a whip to knock them back. I pulled out my Fire Rod and shot a few flames out to back them up further. A few more and they ran up the hill.

Smart animals.

The woman sneered. "Cowardly creatures. Fine. I guess I have to take care of you myself."

Link growled at her as she removed her boot from Midna's face and walked in my direction. I watched as Midna picked herself up and dusted herself off. Her orange hair grew larger into a giant hand she used to pick the woman up.

"Put me down! You, you-_thing_!"

"Hmph. I've been called worse." Midna stretched her hand out farther and dangled the woman over the cliff.

"Midna, wait!" I said. "There's no need to kill her!"

She looked at me for a moment before opening her hand and letting the woman drop.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" I ran over to the edge, but couldn't see anything through the snow.

"Oh, knock it off with the theatrics. There's no way she would die from this height. There's a cliff about 100 feet below us she should've landed on. If we're lucky, she broke a leg or something. That'll slow her down quite a bit."

"If we're _lucky_? She's a human being, not a monster!"

"One that just tried to kill us. You should be thanking me." Midna stretched and folded her arms behind her head. "Now, which way? I'm getting cold."

It sickened me how she could be so indifferent towards a human life, even an evil one. Or maybe I really am naive and should be thanking her. I don't know. What I did know was that I was getting sick of her attitude.

I swallowed my feelings for the moment and went over to a high cliff wall where the snow was sinking in and began to dig. A small hold revealed itself and I stepped back, holding my Fire Rod in front of me. I used it to melt away the snow and make a big enough crawlspace for Link and Midna.

I put the rod away and nodded towards the hole. "Through there. After we get through this cave, we should be at the top."

Link padded through the snow and shimmied underneath the rock easily. Midna could just go through the wall. I sighed and slid down to my stomach so I could slide underneath. I had to turn on my back halfway through and use my hands to pull myself up. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic.

"Here, give me your hand."

I looked up and saw Link, back to normal. I accepted his help and he easily pulled me the rest of the way through and to my feet.

"Thanks." I said.

"It looks like there's places for me to use my clawshot on the ceiling. It should make climbing a little faster." He pulled it out and aimed it at the ceiling, the claw latching securely onto the vines that crawled along the top of the cave. "Come on. I'll pull you up with me. Just hang on tight."

I had to put my arms completely around him to keep from falling, but the 55 feet or so separating us from the group kept me from focusing too much on how close we were. After we made it up that shaft and then another narrower one, there was a series of small cliffs that we had to climb. But they were cake compared to the hills we'd climbed earlier.

When we finally made it to the top, there was a...door? Weird.

"Well that's not something you see everyday." Link said.

"Aw, who cares? We're at the top, aren't we?" Midna floated through the door and out, not even bothering to wait for us.

"Yeah, but there's still a ways to go before we're at the mansion. At least the rest of it is easy." I helped Link pull open the door.

"Should I even ask?" He asked.

"Well, I don't have to tell you and I suppose you could just walk down to the mansion by yourself. But the way I have is _so_ much more fun." Is it bad that I was looking forward to seeing him wobble and fall flat on his face? I mean, come on. He can't be good at everything, right?

The air was clear and crisp as we stepped outside. There's just something about mountain air that just feels good and makes you happy. At least it makes me feel that way.

Which is probably why I was caught off guard when the ground shook and I was slammed into an invisable wall. Link was sent flying in the other direction.

Oh, crap. The Twili.

I was a bit dazed, but otherwise okay. Link seemed to have had the wind knocked out of him and was having a bit harder time than I was getting back on his feet. But where was...?

"Midna?..." I looked around, but couldn't find her.

"Brace yourself"

"Wha-?"

I gasped for air as a giant hand snatched me off my feet and out of the way of an incoming Twili. It loosened it's grip a bit when it moved forward and pulled me close to it's chest. Whatever had grabbed me, it was awfully fuzzy.

I closed my eyes and held as absolutely still as I could. This thing was huge compared to me and although it didn't seem hostile (towards me, at least), I didn't want to take a chance. It used it's large foot to slam the tree and shake several pieces of ice loose. They landed in the snow and it kicked them towards the black beasts.

The chunks of ice cut through the Twili monsters like they were nothing. The black pillars crumbled and a new portal opened up for us to travel through.

I heard the sharp singing of a sword and I jolted upright.

"Whoa! Stop!" I called down to Link, who was about to run the monster-like creature through. "He won't hurt me!" I turned to the white fuzzy monster that had his giant hand gripped around me. "Will you...Yeti?"

Yeti was almost cute when he blinked a few times and gave me a toothy grin. "You know Yeti's name, pretty doll?"

"She's not a toy. Can you put her down now?" Link, as tough as he was, seemed tiny next to the giant snow creature.

"Uh?...Uh, uh! Sorry!" Yeti gently set me down on my feet in the powdered snow. "Thought she was a life-size doll! Was gonna take her to wife."

Midna cracked up at that, but she covered her mouth with her hands when I glared in her direction. She's learning to keep her mouth shut. Slowly.

"Gee, I wonder who gave you that idea?" I said as Midna slinked behind the swordsman.

Yeti picked up a large fish in the snow that I recognized as a Reekfish. "Why do humans come to snows? You look for something, uh?" Link explained the situation to Yeti in detail. He stratched his chin thoughtfully. "Uh...You come from faraway for such thing..."

"It's important, Yeti. Do you know where it might be?" I asked.

"Uh uh uh uh! You in luck! Yeti find shiny mirror piece. Same piece you look for, uh?" He gave another toothy grin and motioned to a black structure at the bottom of the hill we stood on top of. "Come to house and see yourself!" Yeti held up the Reekfish. "I caught fish. I make you hot meal, at least..."

"That would be nice, but..." Link looked around. "Where's your house, exactly?"

"My house far away...We slide there, uh? Do like me! Come!" Yeti kicked the tree and knocked a piece of ice loose.

"Slide?"

"Yep, this is the fun part of the climb." I said. "Here, let me show you."

I tightened the laces on my boots and jumped, using the small knothole in the tree as a foothold. After I got my balance, it was easy to climb higher into the giant branches. My hands felt numb as I grasped the edge of the biggest ice leaf. It wouldn't budge, so I shifted around and kicked it with my foot. The ice snapped and it fell neatly to the ground.

"Uh uh! You snowboard, too, little doll?" Yeti asked.

"Not snowboard..." I slid off the branch and my boots made a satisfying crunch sound in the snow when I landed. I reached into my pouch and took out some thick rope, tying it to the edges the ice. "I sled." I grinned and sat down on the ice leaf. "See you at the bottom."

I shoved off with a foot and tucked it underneath me as the ice began to move.

I heard the yeti man burst out into laughter as I sled off down the hill. "She fun. I like her."

"Me, too."

The snow flew into the air behind me as I gained speed. I wanted to close my eyes when the first jump came up, but instead I clung on tight so I wouldn't fall. The sensation of flying through the air was thrilling and frightening at the same time.

The mountain was one giant slide, protective rails and all. The shape of the hills allowed me to easily fly onto and across the bridge without any mistakes.

"Whoa!" There was a sharp drop-off almost immediately after the bridge and I nearly fell off of my sled. I quickly righted myself and clung on tight as I barreled towards the edge of the next cliff.

The ice sled flew off of the cliff without slowing down and I grimaced as I broke through the trees and branches. They left a few scratches, but nothing serious. I tugged on the sled to avoid a pile of downed brances and ice and almost crashed into the cave wall that I shot through.

I had to be careful as I guided the sled across a small, broken part of the path. From there, a fence wound around the mountain path and it became one big silde again. The ice was wearing away a bit and I was afraid it was going to break before I reached the bottom.

It took less than three minutes to reach the mansion, but it seemed like a lot longer. There was a small mound of snow I didn't see at the end of the path that sent me flying off of my makeshift sled.

"Ouch..." I rubbed my head and picked myself up out of the white powder. It clung to my heavy clothes and I dusted it off as I looked back towards the top of the cliff.

Link and Yeti had already shoved off, but I couldn't see them from here. Where were they?

I waited and watched, holding my breath. Then, after a few seconds, both of them popped out from the snow. Well, okay. Just Link. Yeti looked like a giant moving snowman.

Yeti balanced on one of his large feet as he slid with ease down the normal mountain path. But Link was taking it a step further. I cringed as he flipped his ice snowboard onto the higher piece of land. He didn't even falter. No, rather he gained speed as he hopped from cliff to cliff like he was born to do it.

I stepped back as Link came shooting towards the bridge. He avoided the pile of snow and flipped off of his ice piece, landing perfectly on his feet.

Oh, I give up. This guy really can do everything.

"You're right. That_ was _fun." He grinned. "Let's go again."

I shook my head. "You're crazy, you know that?"

Yeti came crashing down behind us. "Uh, uh! You quick! Yeti impressed!" He tucked his fish underneath his arm. "Come in, uh! You meet wife!"

"We'll be right in." Link said. He watched Yeti go inside then looked around at the house. It was all black, save for the snow that was piled up on the roof and staircase. "So, what do you think? Do those stories they told us have any truth to them?"

"No." The house seemed to loom over us, and I hesitated. "I've never heard anything about it until Siri said something. It has to be just more rumors."

"...Yeah. I'm sure that's it, too." He did seem a bit more relieved now that I'd agreed. He wasn't afraid of ghosts, was he? "Come on. It's cold out here. Let's go inside."

It was strange that ghost stories had been typically linked to the Zoras. First the Siri rumors and now this...I mean, there was no such thing as a haunted house. ...Right?

The wind blew eerily and I shuddered as we approached the towering doors.

At least, I hope I'm right.

* * *

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some Uncharted 3 to play. :D

*off in a corner with PS3 and controller* No Nate! Jump to the left! The LEFT! NO! DON'T LET GO! DXXX *dies*

;_;


	42. The Ancient Mansion's Secrets

**Author's Note:** Hope you guys are all enjoying Skyward Sword and the holidays! I know I am. THE KIKWI ARE SO CUUUTTEEE. :DDDD

Reviews:

LegendOfZeldaFreak: Maybe, maybe not. You'll find out eventually. :)

kenegi: I'll never tell~

angelbeets: Started a collection of them, because that's actually a good idea. I didn't really give it much thought before. Currently there's only a MayaxHane one, but I'm writing an AmandaxLink one and a few others. Thanks for the idea. :)

ChocolateMilkLOL: He is cute. I liked him and Yeta a lot as characters. I hated snowboarding against Yeta, though. She was cheap.

Joe Elf: I'll fix that, thanks.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Two: The Ancient Mansion's Secrets**

"Hold on!"

I grasped his hand as tightly as I could, but Link was slipping fast. I let out a small shriek as the floor underneath me broke a little more under our weight, almost breaking the grip I had created with my feet. I was barely hanging on by the toes of my boots. If I lost the hold I had, we both would go.

I glanced down at the spikes below us. The sharpness of them would ensure a quick death for us. There was no way I would let that happen. I just couldn't. There was no retry button I could push.

I grimaced in pain as I dug my feet in harder. A large rusted nail had penetrated the top of my boot and tore into my skin.

He tried to raise his left arm, but it had become useless after he broke it. "Just let go of me!" He said.

"No! I won't do that!" I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as I tried to adjust myself and the nail went deeper.

The floor collapsed even more, sending us sliding downwards. Another nail tore a gash open in my leg and caught on the hole in my boot. It was the only thing holding us up now.

"Amanda, you have to let go of me! If you don't, you'll fall with me!"

"I don't care!"

"Yeah? Well I do!"

He began to let go, but I wasn't about to give up yet. I grasped on tighter and began to swing. Sharp and excruciating pain shot up my leg, but I kept going. When I was going fast enough, I let go of him.

The nail let go of me, too.

I felt myself fall and everything around me turned white.

Siri was right.

This mansion was cursed.

* * *

The front doors to the mansion creaked when we pushed them open. They were heavy things, parts of the door being made of iron. There were two ornamental knockers that were shaped like some strange mythical beast. I was glad we'd been invited in and didn't have to touch them. They looked like they might leap to life and bite my hand off.

"Good grief, just how big is this place?" Midna's eyes got wider as she looked around.

"It's pretty big. There's two or three floors, and a huge courtyard in the center of everything." Though I tried not to show it, I was in just as much awe as she was. You know those fairytale-like mansions you only dream of seeing? This one was probably bigger. "At least, that's as much as I remember. There could be even more than that."

"This place must have really been something when it was newer. It's a shame it's so run down now." Link said, touching the broken banister and admiring the carving work.

"Even the floor is all broken up. What a mess." She kicked around one of the broken floor pieces with her foot.

A large ice patch filled the hole in the floor and gap in the red velvet carpet, but I just stepped around it. There was a second set of smaller double doors and I knocked on it.

There was a small cough and then, "Come in."

We entered a large open room that had an overturned plush couch and coffee table atop a matching red rug next to a giant fireplace. Several paintings hung on the wall; all of them were crooked. I guess it used to be a sitting room, but it seemed so bare now with only the few pieces of furniture.

"Uh...? Who...?" A monster-like figure similar to Yeto squinted from her spot on the floor next to the couch. "Sorry...I have sickness, uh..." She coughed and tilted her head to beckon us over. "Come closer..."

"We came because Yeto told us you might know where a mirror shard is."

Now that I was closer I could see Yeta clearly. She had a clearly defined, almost human-like face, unlike her husband who was very much a beast man. Her eyes were deep brown and beautiful. Yeta was wearing a woolen sweater on top of her white fur.

I wonder if Yeto knitted it for her? It was a cute thought.

Yeta giggled a little as another cough escaped her. "You cute little human. Husband told me you come." She turned her gaze to me. "And you must be pretty human mistaken for doll. I apologize for husband's rudeness, uh."

I shook my head. "It's all right."

She wiggled her arms inside her sweater and procured a map that she handed to Link. "I mark place on map where mirror is. It pretty thing, but since I find it, monsters appeared and I get this sickness...So we lock bedroom on third floor where it hangs, uh."

"Do you know where the key is, Yeta?" I asked gently.

She mulled it over before looking at the map. "Hmm...Fever makes head blurry, but..." She pointed to a room in the west part of the house. "It probably here in this room."

He marked it on the map and folded it. "Okay. You stay put. We'll go and get it."

"Oh, thank you. It difficult to get up, uh. Head through that door over there." She motioned to the door on the left side of the room. "I wait here for you."

We left Yeta and headed for the door she'd indicated. As soon as the door opened, my stomach rumbled. Something smelled good and it'd been hours since we'd last eaten something.

"Uh! You!" Yeto's loud voice boomed throughout the room, which of course turned out to be the kitchen.

It was rather large, with pots and pans hanging everywhere, and boxes shoved up against the wall. A large pot was heating over a fire near the center of the room and Yeto was stirring whatever was inside it.

"Calm down, would you?" Midna came out of the shadows and unplugged her ears. "It's a small room. We can hear you."

"Sorry." He said sheepishly.

"Yeta doesn't look so good. Is she going to be all right?" Link asked.

It was a question more directed at Midna, but Yeto answered instead. "Wife...not well since mirror. So I make her soup to cheer her up! Fish from Zora village very nutritious!" He turned and grabbed a few bottles from the nearby shelf and slipped them into some kind of knitted sleeve before filling them with soup. "Here! You look tired. Take some for later, uh! Sleeve keep them warm!"

Ah, kind of like a thermos.

Link caught them as Yeto threw them and tucked them safely away. "Thanks. We'll eat them before they get cold."

"Don't worry. Sleeve keep them warm for long, long time. You eat when ready, uh?" We said our goodbyes to Yeto and as we were going into the connecting room, he called after us, "Be careful out there with monsters, little doll! They snap you like twig if you do not watch where you going!"

He's just going to keep calling me that, isn't he? Oh, well. It was kind of flattering, in it's own strange way. At least I know I'm tougher than a twig.

...I think.

"I feel bad for Yeta." Link mused as we walked side by side. "Is there any way that soup would help her?"

"It's just wishful thinking on the beast man's part." Midna said. Ugh, since when was her name Amanda?

"You agree with that, Amanda?"

I hated to give Midna the satisfaction of knowing she was right, but...well, she kind of was. "I wish I could say that soup would heal her, but taking away the shard from this place would do the most good." I smiled a little. "Still, it's a very sweet thought."

I expected there to be a switch for us to press, but the block was already on the switch and the door was unlocked.

"Huh. That's odd." I said.

"What is?" He asked.

"This door is supposed to be locked..."

"Is it really all that terrible that it isn't?..."

"I suppose not. It's just a little weird, that's all." I leaned down to examine the ice. There were no scratches, meaning it hadn't been moved recently. Hmm, maybe I am being paranoid. Yeto and Yeta did live here after all. It wasn't like this place was abandoned.

I looked back down at the ice and a girl's face was staring up at me, unmoving. I fell backwards and scooted away from the edge as fast as I could.

"What is it?" Link paused, hand on the doorknob.

I got to my feet and inched back over to the ice. There was nothing there except the shadows and reflections the giant block cast onto it.

"It's...nothing." Right? Nothing. I left it at that and followed them out into the cold. If I let my mind wander, I'd get spooked out.

The sky had clouded up while we'd been inside and it had begun to snow again. It looked pretty through the small barred window, but I knew there were things lurking in it.

"I'm going to go out there and check to make sure it's clear. You follow after, okay? Midna!" Link motioned for her and she popped out, holding the black Twili stone. He transformed into a wolf and dug a deep enough hole so that I could get underneath the wall.

I could hear the sounds of snarling wolves and saw blurs of white flash by the barred window. I stepped back so the monsters wouldn't see me. I was pretty sure they could dig through the snow just as well as Link could.

There was a wall of ice next to me that was nearly as shiny as a mirror. It was cold to the touch and absolutely solid. Nothing was getting through that. I stared into it, trying to see through to the other side. A human, child-like figure formed in it's reflection, and smiled at me.

I turned around frantically, but there was nothing there. When I looked back, it was gone.

Now that time I _know_ I saw something.

I heard the last of the wolves go down and I scrambled underneath the broken part of the wall.

"What's the matter?" Link asked as he returned to his human form and helped me onto my feet.

"I saw...a kid." I blinked. "In that hallway. It was in the ice, and then it disappeared."

"Are you sure that's what you saw? That ice was pretty solid. Nothing except a monster could survive that kind of cold."

"It had to be. It didn't look like a monster or the Yetis. I know what I saw. It was real." Wasn't it? "Either that or I'm losing it." I held my hand up when Midna started to give a response. "I don't need your input on that topic."

For once, she didn't say anything and just kept her mouth shut, which was an improvement over earlier. We had to keep going anyway, so we checked the map and were off. There was a door that led to the other side of the wall in the outside hallway and another door that led back inside. Thankfully, it was supposed to be the room that supposedly held the shard.

A blast of warm air greeted me as I stepped inside after Link. There was a small side room with a chest in it. Ah, that must be what we're looking for.

"Stay here. I'll check it out." Link said. I waited by the door as he crossed the room. Wasn't there something else in here?

I heard the clink of ice before I saw it. I pulled out my Fire Rod and shot two blasts of fire above his head. The ice monsters that came raining down on him seemed confused, and he used the opportunity to leap into the air and slice one of their heads clean off. It fell to pieces, and he back flipped out of the way as the other one came after him. Then his sword spun around and sliced through it so quick it left a streak of light in it's wake. The poor, defenseless thing didn't have a chance.

"Nice catch." Link seemed impressed, which made me feel pretty good. I was getting better at noticing my surroundings now, but I still had a lot to learn. "Let's see if that mirror shard is behind this door."

There was a small sliver of hope that it was, but when he opened the chest, it disappeared. It was a pumpkin, just as it was supposed to be. I don't know whether to feel relieved or annoyed that Yeta was wrong and things were going the way they should.

"A...pumpkin?" Midna looked more than annoyed. "What the?...We said mirror shard, not food."

"Yeta is sick, Midna. You can't blame her for forgetting a thing or two." Something caught my eye on the wall and I went over to look at it closer.

"Oh, no. It's not like we don't have all the time in the world." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I say let me get the correct information out of her. She'll remember with my help. I guarantee it."

Was that a threat? Knowing Midna, probably. Sometimes she had no patience or compassion.

Link ignored her, as did I. "Amanda? Is something wrong?"

"Just...hold on a sec..." I scratched at some of the dirt on the wall. There was an odd hole there, almost like a keyhole. I ran my hand along it, trying to find some kind of indication that there was a door there. "There's a keyhole here."

Link tucked the pumpkin safely away. "You think it might be for one of those rooms Siri mentioned?"

"It might be. Let's see here..." I took out my headpiece and after looking at it closer, saw where I could twist and pull it apart.

I'd never noticed that the headpiece could break into pieces; that's how well it was concealed. It was a puzzle in and of itself, but thankfully a simple one. A few parts came completely off to reveal the key and I shoved those into my pouch.

"Be careful, Amanda..." He said.

I nodded. "I know." I slipped the key in the lock and turned it.

The wall rumbled and I jumped back about five feet. An entire panel of the wall slide outwards and to the left, shaking loose all the dust around it in it's wake. When everything settled, I could see a long, dimly lit hallway that looked like it hadn't been touched in years.

Midna peeked over my shoulder. "Creepy. You'd think those Yetis would do some decorating or cleaning up or _something_."

"I doubt they even know this room exists, Midna." Link said.

"Either way, I think I'll stay out of this one. Let me know when you're out of this place." She dove back into his shadow.

"That's strange. You'd think she'd enjoy a place like this." I muttered.

"You'd think, wouldn't you?" Link took out his lantern and poured some oil in it so we could light it. It cast an eerie shadow on things, but at least we'd be able to see. "I share her feelings on this one, though. Let's try not to be down there too long."

I silently agreed. I got a scary vibe from the secret passageway that made me really uncomfortable.

The room at the end of the hall was a library, which bookshelves shoved up against every wall, and more in the middle of the room. I didn't know where to start looking. Or what I was supposed to be looking for.

"I'll take this side of the room, you take the other. See if you can find anything that will help us."

Of course. Send me to the darkest part of the scary room. "S-sure."

"Don't worry. We'll get out of here as quick as possible." He seemed uneasy as he walked towards one of the bookshelves.

I took a deep breath and walked across the room and behind most of the shelves. It would be easier to start on one side and work my way over. I paid careful attention to the spines of the books, to see if I could find some clue...any clue at all that would lead us to information about the sages and the Master Sword.

Most of it was in Hylian, so I didn't know what it said. There were a few that were in English, but they were mostly reference books. Finally, I found a book that was different. I flipped it open, skimming through the pages. It seemed to be a diary or journal of some sort. I couldn't make out who wrote it because the signature was in Hylian. I turned to a random page and started reading.

_Spring, 24th day of the fifth month_

_My family and I have been tasked by the sages and the royal family with the honor of guarding a precious key. To what, I know not. Only my father and my mother know the truth. When I get married and take over the estate, my wife and I shall hold the secret. For that reason, my marriage will be arranged. Not just anyone will be trusted, not even my innocent younger sister and brother. I will never be allowed to tell them. Unless something should befall me, they will never know the treasure this house holds._

Huh. Interesting. It sounds like this was written by a guy, possibly my age or a little older. I turned the page to the next entry, which was a few days later:

_Spring, 26th day of the fifth month_

_My father called me into his study last night. He discussed it with my mother and they decided the sooner I marry, the better. I am of appropriate age and with this new development, they wish to be safe before any possible rumor gets out about our secret. They don't want someone marrying me to get close to the treasure. I am meeting with my future wife tomorrow. I pray to the goddesses that this match will turn out to be successful._

I took the journal and sat on a nearby stool, continuing my reading. Maybe I would find a clue or something. Or maybe I was just making up excuses to keep looking through it. Yes, I'll admit it. This is kind of fascinating.

_Spring, 27th day of the fifth month_

_I met her today. We walked through the courtyards, talking of all sorts of things. She seemed polite, but was kind of distant. She was no doubt beautiful, and I'm sure in time we'll open up more to each other. My parents like her background and decided to go ahead with the engagement. Our wedding shall take place a week from now, here in the house._

_Summer, 3rd day of the sixth month_

_Today was my wedding. It was short and relatively simple, but beautiful nonetheless. My new wife loved the family jewelry I gave her as a wedding present. My younger brother and sister love her very much and spent most of the afternoon with her in the library and the sitting room, reading and playing. It does my heart good to see how the goddesses have blessed this family with their good graces. I see only bright days ahead in our future._

_Summer, 10th day of the sixth month_

_My mother has been complaining of nightmares for the past week now. My father does not say much these days, but he seems worried about something. My younger sister has been talking of seeing something strange in her room at night, but my brother seems fine. I shall keep a watchful eye out for anything suspicious. _

_Summer, 14th day of the sixth month_

_The lack of sleep due to the recurring nightmares my mother continues to face has caused her to fall ill. My father has brought in the best doctors, but nothing seems to change. The added stress has made my father irritable and unsociable. My sister has been moved into the same room as my brother to keep her from being frightened alone at night. It seems to be doing her good. For that, at least, I can be thankful._

Creepy. The sister was seeing things? Like what, ghosts? Phantoms? I shivered a bit and looked around the room. Link was still going through bookshelves on the other side. He had the lantern as bright as possible, but it was still pretty dark. I probably shouldn't keep reading, but I had to know what happened. I turned ahead a few pages and stopped on a longer entry.

_Summer, 25th day of the sixth month_

_My loving mother has passed away. My father is stricken with grief. Her illness overtook her and she never became well. My wife and I agreed to support my father in any way possible. With my mother gone, my sister and brother will need the closest care and the gentlest touch. My siblings are both seeing things now, and my sister has stopped speaking all together. I do not know how to make things better, but I will give my best and pray that that is enough._

_Summer, 27th day of the sixth month_

_I hear strange noises at night. After my wife has fallen asleep, I can hear the creaking of floorboards and banging in the hallway. I've checked over and over again, but nothing ever has shown itself to me. Am I losing my mind? I pray not. My father has locked himself away in his study and refuses to come out. At this rate, I will be the only one left to care for my siblings._

_Summer, 30th day of the sixth month_

_I knocked on the door to the study today, but it was locked. I retrieved one of the guards and we rammed the door down. The sight that greeted me was most unpleasant. The room was askew and my father was hanging by a rope tied around the rafters. It appears he couldn't live without my mother. I will make arrangements for his burial, then I must take my wife to a secluded room and tell her our family's secret, which the sages shall reveal to me at that time. I am still hearing the noises at night and they're getting more persistent. Perhaps I should bring it up to the Sages when we meet._

So it seems like something weird was going on in this house. I don't know if it was cursed, but there are things definitely unfriendly about this place.

"Hey, Amanda! Come here! I think I found something!" Link's voice was muffled behind the tallest bookshelf in the room.

I abandoned the journal I was reading (it was getting too scary for my tastes, anyway) and walked over to where he was. Link held a open book in his hand and was flipping through it. It was all in ancient Hylian text, so I couldn't read a word of it. But there were a few hand-drawn scribbles on the back of some of the pages that were interesting.

"I was about to give up when I found this book shoved between two normal ones." Link closed it so I could see the cover. It had royal gold inscribing on it. "It seems useful, but unfortunately, I can't read any of it. I think maybe we should take it with us."

"What is that?" I asked, pointing at a drawing of a circular object with two crescent shapes on both sides.

"I don't know, but it seems important. There's several more scribbles like that on the pages of this book."

I turned and scanned the bookshelf Link had found the book on. Hmm, it doesn't look like there's any secret hiding spots, but it's always safe to check, right?

I stepped onto one of the lower shelves and hoisted myself up so I could see in the empty slot the book had been in. "Hey, Link? Could you hold the lantern up here for a second?"

"Hmm? Did you find something?" He tore himself away from his book to move the light closer to the shelf.

I couldn't see anything still so I reached my hand in and felt around. It was empty and I sighed.

"Nothing?"

"No..." I was about to climb down when I noticed the book about the slot I'd just searched. It had the same symbol on the spine as the drawings in the book he had. I pulled it out and jumped back down to the ground.

The book was covered in dust, so I took a deep breath and blew on it. It all came off in one try, revealing a huge ornate lock on the cover. There were three places for a key, or rather a place for a key and two odd-shaped holes. Around them was a spinning puzzle with Hylian characters and symbols on it that resembled the marks of the sages.

"I think this might have something useful in it." I pointed at the symbols around the outer edge. "Recognize these?"

"Those marks were on the sages back in the desert, right?" Link asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. But I don't know what these other marks are."

"Oh, that's right. You can't read Hylian." He handed me the lantern and took the book from me. "Do you have the other parts of that headpiece? I have a feeling they go in these other two slots next to the key."

I reached in my pouch and grabbed both the key and separate parts of the headpiece. The key slipped in easy enough, but the other two pieces took some adjusting. Once they were in, the individual wheels were able to turn.

"Now these..." He pointed to the top two rows. "...are parts of words. And the last two rows are numbers."

"Words...Numbers...Do you have any idea what the different parts of the words mean?"

"Yes. Just give me a minute." As Link turned the wheel, it made a clicking noise. He was quick and before I knew it, he'd finished. "Light, Shadow, Water, Fire, Forest, and Spirit. Weren't those the Sages?"

He was right. "Yeah. And I think I know how to open this book. Line those first two rows up so the word 'light' is at the top. As for the numbers..." It was the order the sages were released. I was sure of it. "The second to last row should line up with number one at the very top, with the last row having numbers two and six at the bottom."

There was a louder click as he lined them all up and the lock holding the book shut popped open. Only...well...There weren't pages inside.

There was another, more ornate lid that opened in the other direction that wasn't locked. When Link pulled on it, there was a half circle amulet nestled on the inside of the box, which in turn was lined with purple velvet and gold stitching. The royal colors of Hyrule, if I'm not mistaken.

"This isn't book, it's a secret chest." He took out the half-circle and held it up, examining it. "What do you want to bet there's another one of these somewhere in the house?"

"That turns into a key. And that will probably lead us to the information we want. Let's just hope this isn't a dead end."

"Only one way to find out." Link slid the book...chest...whatever back into place on the bookshelf. "Let's go."

I turned to follow, but the lantern suddenly blew out, leaving us in pitch black. A few books flew off of the shelves and landed on the floor, facedown. We looked at the books and then at each other.

"Midna?...Please tell me that you were the one that just did that." I said.

I could barely make out the outline of her, but I could see her eyes clearly as she lazily slid up out of his shadow and shrugged. "Please. As if I'd do something so childish. If I wanted to scare you, I'd probably make a pot or vase look like it was moving on it's own or something."

The small table in-between two of the bookshelves rattled and the ancient vase on it teetered off of the edge and shattered into a thousand little pieces.

"...Kind of like that."

He tucked the half-amulet into his pouch and took my hand, pushing me ahead of him out of the room. "Let's get back to the courtyard. This place gives me the creeps." Link's hand was close to his sword as we walked back down the hallway.

The second we stepped back out into the room we'd come from, the door slammed back into place. I couldn't tell there had even been a door.

"Let's drop that dumb pumpkin or whatever off in the kitchen and get back to finding that shard." Midna folded her arms behind her head and floated off. "Enough of this silly ghost stuff." She looked at me when she said that.

Easy for you to say. You weren't the one reading about it.

It didn't take long to circle back around and give the pumpkin to Yeto, who was thrilled enough to knock Link over and take it. He proudly proclaimed the soup was even better, and tossed out the old, filling the bottles to the brim with the new stuff. Yeta apologized for her mistake and pointed out another area where she thought the shard might be. And off we went.

There was a door-or rather a window-we hadn't seen in the courtyard. We climbed through it and found ourselves in another outdoor hallway. Through the only open door was a large room filled with spears, halberds, swords, and...cannons?

"I wonder if these still work..." Link began to toy with it.

A hissing sound filled the air and it launched a cannonball across the room, shattering a wall of ice and revealing a path.

"Oops..." He gave me a sheepish grin. "I guess it was loaded."

"Yeah, but look!" I pointed across the ice.

The blast from the cannon had revealed a previously blocked off corner with some strange markings on the wall. I stepped down onto the ice and skated carefully over there. When I got close, I could tell it was similar to the one in the room next to this one.

"Another keyhole..." I took out the headpiece key and slipped it in, turning it. This time, a panel of the floor flipped up, revealing a secret stairway.

Link took his lantern back out. "Let me go first. You follow slowly."

I nodded and waited for him to descend, and I followed after. The stairs went down pretty far, but the same thing was waiting for us at the bottom as in the last place. A hallway with a room at the end.

"It seems we'll find our other piece of the amulet here. Are you okay with going down there?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at me. "I can go alone and pick it up if you don't want to."

"No, I'll go." I stepped closer to him. "Just...don't go too far away with that lantern, okay?"

Link chuckled a little. "Got it."

As soon as we walked a few steps away from the staircase, a heavy door fell down and slammed shut. The floor sunk in an inch as the doors locked. A trap! The old wood sounded like it was groaning under our weight. Snapping and popping filled the air. This hallway was not going to last much longer.

"Wh-what's going on?" I nearly tumbled over as the floor slanted

"Don't move." He slowly reached for his clawshot and eyed something in the hallway. As he moved his arm up to shoot, the floor gave way completely.

When I dove for his hand, everything whited out.

My memories blurred together and I opened my eyes. I saw the broken floor above me. I didn't know what had happened to Link, but I was falling. He was probably already dead, impaled on the spikes.

The last thing I saw was a young girl's face staring back at me.

* * *

Ah ha ha. You'll have to wait until next chapter to find out what happens. Sorry it's so short. Happy New Year! :3

(If the next chapter isn't up for another week or so, you'll know it's because I'm playing Hero Mode on Skyward Sword. IT'S SO GOOOOD. 3 )


	43. Ghosts of the Past

**Author's Note:** A new one-shot will be up soon. It's Link take on certain events in the main story. If you guys like it enough, I'll do more like that. Make sure to let me know which parts of the story you'd like to hear Link's side of! A Link x Amanda one will be coming soon, too. (I had to scrap the one I was working on because it l didn't like it enough, so that will take me a little longer than planned.)

**Reviews:**

bellahelen101: Haha, I'm trying, I'm trying.

LegendOfZeldaFreak: Little ghost girls are always scary. I'm still scarred from seeing The Ring several years ago when it came out on video. (And I only watched the first ten minutes. x_X )

ChocolateMilkLOL: The scariest Zelda-related thing you can do is listen to the Shadow Temple theme in the dark. Go to the ZREO (Zelda Re-Orchestrated) website and put some headphones on and turn all the lights off. It's disturbing, to say the least. (I could never go through the Shadow Temple at night and I still can't. The place freaks me out.)

angelbeets: I'm writing as often as I can, but sometimes classes get in the way (they're fun classes though. I love being a music major~ :D )

darkskarmory: Thanks. I'll check our your writing when I get a chance.

HenryTheWise: Thanks a lot. :) You can't blame the kitten (even though yes, it is her fault), she's just too cute ;.;

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Three: Ghosts of the Past**

"Amanda! Hey, wake up!"

"If that doesn't work, I've got something that'll-"

"Hold it. She's awake."

Oh, man. I sure was. I felt the pain in my leg from before slowly start to set back in. When I opened my eyes, all I saw were wood panels. Link was sitting nearby, holding his arm. It had broken at an odd angle when parts of the floor slammed into it.

"You're awful lucky she didn't let go of you and swung you instead. You'd have missed this place." Midna hovered just above our heads, arms folded casually.

"What is this place, exactly?" I sat up and looked around. It was rather small and box-shaped, with a ladder just a yard away or so to the left. I looked to the right and saw a wall. It must've been a false one.

"We're in a hallway just below the floor we fell through." Link answered, twinging a bit in pain as he shifted around a bit. "I take it you knew nothing about this. You seem just as surprised as I am."

"Yeah." I tried not to move my leg around too much as I leaned carefully against the wall. "I just was trying to get you as close as possible to the wall in case there was something to grab onto."

Midna sighed. "You two are the luckiest people I've ever met."

"Did either of you happen to see what caught me?" My mind was blank. I didn't remember much of anything after I'd fallen.

"All I saw was a white light." She said, settling herself down on the floor in between us. "It brought you down to the hallway and disappeared. I haven't seen it since."

A white light? How odd. Whatever it was, I was grateful for it. The mansion was pretty creepy, so I kind of didn't want to dig any deeper than that.

Link pulled something out of his pouch and handed it to me. It was one of the bottles of Yeto's soup. "Here. Drink this. It might make you feel a bit better since I probably wouldn't get you to drink a potion."

I wrinkled my nose and accepted it. "Probably not." I was a bit hungry anyway. I slowly sipped it, as it was still pretty hot thanks to the sleeve Yeto had put over the bottles. "Hey, this is pretty good. " Warmth was spreading through my entire body, from my head to the tips of my toes. "Try it."

He took the other bottle out and sipped it. "You're right, this _is_ good. I wonder what he put in it?"

"After asking the Gorons that question, are you sure you really want to know what a _Yeti_ would put in his soup?"

He smiled a little at that. "Maybe not."

While drinking rocks was hardly traumatizing, I had to wonder what would have that much healing power. If normal potions had weird plants and stuff...I just didn't even want to go there. I probably wouldn't be able to finish my soup.

As I sipped the warm food, the pain in my leg numbed. I paused and set down the bottle next to me.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Hold on a second." I reached down and stripped off my boot and rolled up the leg of my black pants. There was a red mark where I'd been scratched, but any bruising and blood had disappeared and the wound was clearly healing.

"That's some powerful soup." Midna said.

"I'll say." Link agreed. "Does your leg hurt anymore?"

I shook my head, touching the area gently. "No, not really. It feels fine now."

"You think you can walk, then?"

"Yeah." I accepted his hand and he pulled me up carefully. My leg felt okay when I put weight on it, but I knew I would have to still be careful. It wasn't fully healed yet. "How's your arm?"

"Actually, it's much better. Almost fully healed. I don't know what Yeto put in that soup, but whatever it is, it works." He moved it around in a full motion, not showing any signs of pain. "Let's get out of here."

The ladder was wide enough for both of us to stand on it side by side. pushed open a trap door. It was heavy because it was covered with snow, but it easily fell away into a neat pile. Link climbed out and helped me up. We were back in the courtyard, but now we were on the other side of the ice wall. Another cannon was placed to the side, but there were no cannonballs in sight.

Link was immediately interested. "Another cannon. Neat."

"Be careful with this one." I reminded him with a slight smile.

"Hey, that was an accident. And besides-" He slowly turned it so he could see inside. "This one is empty."

"I think there are cannonballs in that hallway over there."

"Okay. We'll smash this ice on the way back. First let's see if that bedroom key is where Yeta said it was."

I agreed with that plan. It would be getting dark soon and I didn't want to be in this place after dark. It was too creepy. I started to follow behind them and then froze when I looked over at the door.

Link stopped when he noticed I wasn't following. "Amanda?..."

He looked over to the spot where that I couldn't tear my eyes away from. I'd only now realized there was supposed to be a monster there, but something else was standing in it's place. It was a man. He looked to be early to mid-twenties, and very tall. The way he carried himself was elegant and graceful, the personification of an aristocrat. His eyes were an unusual mauve color, his wavy hair that reminded me of coffee with cream was tied back. Expensive-looking clothes were fitted to his athletic frame. Oh yeah, and did I forget to mention...?

...He was completely transparent.

"A...ghost?" Midna trailed off, not knowing what else to say."

"I knew I hadn't just been seeing things." Although confirming that I really had seen something didn't really make me feel better. But it was a different ghost. Meaning there was more than one. Great. Just great. "I wonder..." Is he the owner of the journal I'd read back in the library? It would make sense (he's about the right age and all), but it would also be a little strange. What was he-or rather, his ghost-still doing here?

"Who are you?" Link stepped a little closer. "What's your name?"

The ghost turned and started to walk away, silent as he narrowed the distance between them. He vanished through the door we were supposed to be going through.

"I think he wants us to follow him." Midna said. "Maybe he'll lead us to the other half of that medallion."

The ground shook and the snow began to grow into a giant mountain until it burst open, revealing a giant monster made completely of ice. It stood, unmoving in-between us. Even though it didn't move, it still looked intimidating. All the points on it made it look _sharp_.

"Amanda!" Link called as he pulled out his sword. "Step back slowly."

I carefully began to move backwards, trying hard not to sink too deep into the snow. It was already halfway up my boots. If I had to run, I'd be in a bad situation. The monster's eyes followed me until Link attacked it from the other side. He rolled away just as it shot out a blast of icy breath at him. Solid ice covered the spot where he had been standing. He waited until the monster twisted around before rolling out of the way and smacking it again. His sword was doing little more than to annoy the thing and it raised it's hand up in the air, smashing it back down and trying to flatten him. Link was too quick for it, but he still was caught off-balance as he got back to his feet.

I watched all of this happening, trying to catch some opening that he could take advantage of. Then it hit me. Everytime Link moved to attack it, it attacked back. But as soon as he stopped, it stopped. It wasn't hostile unless you moved to attack it first. It was standing guard.

Something important was in that room. More important than that ball and chain, I'd think. Who would put an ice monster in place to guard a simple weapon?

"Link, stop!" I cried as he rushed at it again. "Let me worry about this! That ghost is more important! I think it knows where another hidden room is!"

Midna stared at me, before analyzing the monster. A look of realization came over her face and she flew to my side. "I'll stay here with her. Go!"

He hesitated, shooting one last look at the monster, before quickly sheathing his sword and going through the door.

When he was gone, I pulled out my Fire Rod. "Midna, I need you to get me those cannonballs. They're just through that door there. One or two should be enough to smash this guy to pieces."

She just patted my head before floating off to do as I asked. "You're getting better at all this. Maybe I should think of a new nickname for you."

"Huh?" What was that all about? All I did was figure out how to defeat a monster. I'd seen it at least a dozen times in some form or another. It's not anything I hadn't already been doing for a while. You know, sometimes she was really weird.

I shook it off and ran over to the cannon. The giant wood handles were heavy and it took some serious pushing on my part to even get the cannon to budge, let alone turn. I aimed it at the giant ice monster as best I could.

"Incoming!" Midna called as she tossed a few cannonballs over the wall.

They landed pretty close to the platform, but not close enough. I leapt off the steps and into the snow. As I reached for the heavy thing, a few wolves crawled up from their hiding places.

"Oh, I don't have time for you!" I used my Fire Rod to melt them. It seemed cruel (they were kind of cute if you ignored the fact that they were monsters), but I needed to catch up with Link.

I grabbed both of the cannonballs and tucked one under each arm. They were about the size of a bowling ball, but they were about four times as heavy. It was hard not to drop them as I sank deep in the snow. Finally I just tossed them and ran back up to the cannon. I loaded up one of the cannonballs and reached for one of the ancient-looking bombs littered around the stairs in the snow. They were well-covered by the constant snowfall, but hopefully they would still work.

I heard growling and saw more wolves pull themselves up out of the snow. Midna hid behind me. "Uh-oh...I think they're mad you melted their friend..."

I ignored them for the moment and dropped the bomb inside the chute, stepping back. "You might want to move back a few inches."

I had to be careful now because I could blow myself up if I overdid it. I pointed the Fire Rod at the bomb and concentrated on creating a small flame, inching closer. Carefully, now...

The cannon rumbled and I nearly jumped out of my skin as the cannonball flew out, half on fire, towards the guardian monster. The wolves scattered as the shot landed a direct hit in the monster's middle.

"One more shot should do it."

"Uh, aren't you forgetting something?" She tapped me on the shoulder and pointed.

The wolves had regrouped and were coming back in our direction. I shot a line of fire in both directions and they leapt back, but not for long.

"They're just not going to quit, are they?" Midna growled in annoyance. "I'll keep them distracted. Just hurry up and take care of this thing."

I reached for the second cannonball, and noticed something out of the corner of my eye. "Midna, duck!" I grabbed her and threw up my arm, using my hyperwing's shield to block the monster's icy breath that it sent in her direction. By the time it stopped, my arm was numb. "Ugh...That was close." I shook my arm, trying to get some feeling back in it. "Here, you'll have to help me with this last one."

Midna picked up the second cannonball and dropped it in. "Give me your Fire Rod."

"What about the-"

"Just give it to me."

I handed it off to her and stepped back. She pointed it at the cannon and shot a huge amount of fire out. The cannon nearly exploded as the cannonball raced towards the monster, shooting off several fireballs with it. It tore through the ice monster, breaking most of it and melting what was left. The little fireballs landed around different parts of the courtyard, wiping out the wolves, too.

"Let's go catch up with Mr. Hero." She said, tossing my rod back to me.

We hurried through the door Link had gone through and found ourselves in a narrow passageway, with iron bars on either side. The remains of a giant monster and it's heavy armor still lay on the floor. One of the armor plates was twice the side of my head, and that was just the smallest one. I was kind of glad I'd missed that battle. When we went through the second set of doors, Link was standing among shards of broken ice next to an open chest.

"Link?"

He looked relieved when he saw the two of us walk in. "The ghost in here, but when I followed him through the door, he disappeared."

"And what's that?" I asked, pointing at the donut-shaped object in his hand. "Not the key, I take it?"

Midna groaned when she saw what it was. "Cheese? What exactly are we supposed to do with that?"

"Take it to Yeto?" I offered. "He'd probably be happy to take it off of your hands."

He shot me a look. "You just want to see him shove me again."

I bit my lip, trying not to smile. "I do not. I'm not that cruel."

"Fine, then you carry it." Link tossed it to me.

"Fine." I tucked it safely away and stepped over the sharp pieces of ice, moving closer to the wall. "Last time there was a keyhole near the chest. Did you see one around here when you followed that ghost?"

He shook his head. "No. Which means we have to keep looking. We should try to cover as much of the house as possible before it gets dark. We only have a few hours of light left."

"...You seek the other half of the medallion, do you not?"

The outline of a human formed in front of the doorway. It was the ghost from before!

"Perhaps." Midna said, eyes narrowed. "What do you know about it?"

"I know everything about it. I am Reiner, Master of Snowpeak manor." His gaze and stature were commanding for someone so young. "What is your business here? Do you seek the medallion? And if so, for what gain?"

Link reached behind him and unsheathed the Master Sword, holding it out carefully in his hands. "I seek a way to restore this blade. I have heard that this manor holds some clue to that."

Reiner stared at the sword for the longest time before finally speaking. "While it is true that my family guarded a secret way of restoring this blade, it is only one part of the puzzle. Besides the item you may or may not acquire here, there are two more. One in a temple that is a door to time itself, and the other lies in the place where it all began. Both are guarded by worthy sentries that will not give up what you seek so easily."

"Wait a minute. May or may not? What is that supposed you mean?" I asked.

"What you seek is guarded by a hostile spirit. Anyone who has tried to enter that room has not come out."

Hostile? There was only one other person who knew about what Reiner's family was charged with guarding. "That can't be right. Aren't you talking about your wife?"

"Yes. And my wife was a traitor. She somehow found out our secret and destroyed my family with it."

A traitor? I frowned. That didn't make any sense to me. He never mentioned anything about his wife doing anything out of the ordinary in his journal. Of course I hadn't read it all, but the entries up to where his parents died had hardly anything to do with his wife. I didn't know why, but I had a feeling it was something more than that. "Are you sure? Because-"

"I'm sure." He snapped at me. "You should know. You saw my journal, did you not?"

So the journal_ had _belonged to him.

"You found his journal?" He whispered.

"Yeah, but I take it with me because I didn't think it was important at the time. There was nothing in it about what we were looking for." I replied quietly. Now I wish I'd brought it with me.

"Enough." There was a pain in his eyes as he watched us that I'd seen somewhere else before. It hurt me, too, for some reason. "Collect what you need and leave everything else alone. That includes my personal affairs." He held up a hand and placed it on the wall. When he removed it, there was a visible keyhole where his hand had been. "My wife's sitting room is through this door. You should find the other half of the medallion somewhere in there." Before I could ask him more questions, he vanished.

"Not very sociable, is he?" Midna muttered.

"No, but at least we have something to go on now." Link said, returning the Master Sword to it's sheath.

I was nervous about going into another one of those hallways, but luckily after I unlocked the door, Midna was willing to test it. She was in there for less than a minute before proclaiming the floor was stable enough to walk on. The sitting room that sat at the end of the new hallway was the same shape and size as the library, but it seemed larger due to the smaller amount of bookshelves lining the walls. There were feminine touches here and there, too, like sewing baskets, pieces of cloth, and flower vases with long-dead flowers. The couches all had hand-crocheted blankets on them as well.

I walked over to a set of curtains and threw them open to bring in some light. It also flung dust and cobwebs everywhere, and I tried not to cough. There was a cute window seat in front of me, overlooking the entire mountain range. It was beautiful.

"This is definitely the wife's sitting room." Midna said, floating up and settling herself on Link's shoulder. "But where would she keep the other half of the medallion?"

"It might be harder to pinpoint. The library made it easier because he could just hide it among the rest of the books." Link lowered the lantern and put it out. "This one probably won't be out in the open like that."

I knelt down next to the window seat and slid my fingers along the edge of the wood. I felt a crack and dug my fingers underneath it, in an attempt to pry it open. There was a creak and then it just sprung open. It worked!

"Hey, there's a bunch of stuff in here!" I said, half-climbing in it.

Yarn, a sewing kit, a few partially finished paintings. And books. Lots of books. I sorted through the pile piece by piece, not really finding anything of interest. That is, until I started looking through the books. There was one smaller than the rest, sandwiched between the two biggest ones. I sat back on my heels, holding a small leather journal. It had to have belonged to the wife. It was almost identical to the husband's, save for a feminine ribbon that tied it shut. Maybe he'd bought it for her? I untied the ribbon and flipped it open. The first page was filled with delicate handwriting.

_Spring, 27th day of the fifth month_

_I met my future husband on this day. He gave me this journal as a small gift to celebrate our engagement. He says on our fiftieth year of being wed, we shall exchange them, just as his own parents will. As a child, I had no idea I was to meet my husband this way. When my father approached me with the demand, I wanted to refuse. But how can I? My stepmother has provided us with everything we could have ever dreamed of. And now I have a chance to live the way I want to, free of my stepmother's selfish wants for me? Maybe perhaps free my dear father from her as well? How could I turn him down? I have accepted the man's proposal, and we are to be married in a week. _

_Summer, 3rd day of the sixth month_

_My wedding day. Something I thought wouldn't happen after the hectic week behind us now. It seems like everything that could've gone wrong, did in some small way. My stepmother was unbelievably supportive and that has me on edge. What could she possibly gain from all of this that would make her happy? I did not marry the rich man she'd picked out for me. Does she have some ulterior motive that I just can't see?_

_Perhaps I am being too harsh. The day was indeed beautiful. I must admit, my new husband is very handsome and truly kind. His sister-my sister now-is so free-spirited and carefree. My new brother is sweet and a bit shy, but I hope to get to know him better. His parents have welcomed me into their home with open arms. My mother-in-law is going to teach me to knit and sew. I've always wanted to learn, but my stepmother cared more about appearances than learning how to sew._

_I am looking forward to spending more time with my husband these next several days. Tomorrow he's going to take me around and show me the mountains. I hope it will snow. I've never seen fresh mountain snow before._

The wife seemed to be a bit more cynical than most would be, but it seems like things started out all right. It also appears she knew nothing about the Sages being a part of any of this. I flipped the page and continued reading.

_Summer, 7th day of the sixth month_

_I was up late again last night. It is the second night in a row that his has happened. For some reason I haven't been able to sleep, despite being more than content right now. I've learned to escape to the sitting room, where I will not disturb my husband. I practice my sewing until I'm tired enough to slip back into bed. My new mother is always impressed at the pace at which I am learning. I hope to master her technique so I can make her something personal for her next birthday._

_Summer, 9th day of the sixth month_

_My sister has been having trouble sleeping as well. I hear her crying out sometimes at night, but nothing seems to soothe her. My husband thinks it would be best to place her in a room with her brother and I agree. Having some company always does one's heart good._

_Summer, 10th day, of the sixth month_

_Now my sweet mother is having her own troubles. I was in the sitting room last night, when she began to scream. It was loud enough to hear through the entire house! My husband and father rushed to calm her down, but she was upset for a long time. I offered to stay with her, but my husband insisted I return to bed. I pray she will be all right._

_Summer, 14th day of the sixth month_

_Something tragic has happened. My stepmother came to pay us a visit today and my mother collapsed while serving tea. I called immediately for the doctors and he was in there with her for a long time before giving a prognosis. She is very ill and will need the top care. My father seems to not be feeling well either. He doesn't talk much to me. Before, he would always have a kind word. What is happening here?_

I'd be suspicious if I were her, too. You get married and move to new place a suddenly everything starts going downhill little by little? It sure does sound like all the troubles started when they were married, but I still wasn't convinced the wife was the cause of it yet.

_Summer, 25th day of the sixth month_

_I am overcome with grief. My mother-in-law, who was more like a real mother to me than my stepmother was, died early this morning. I was the last one to speak with her before she passed. She whispered to me to take care of her son, and to not be fooled. Fooled by what, I wonder? Whatever she meant, I might never know. Still, with the strange things going on in this house, I must be extra-vigilant. My dear husband is becoming more and more stressed by the day. I must do all that I can to support him and any decisions he might make._

_Summer, 28th day of the sixth month_

_Now my husband has been up at night. He has become restless, getting up every few hours to investigate the halls of our home. I wonder if he, too, has been feeling as strange as I have. I lack the courage to tell him of my troubles, so I pretend to sleep whenever he awakes. I don't want him to worry unnecessarily, so tomorrow I'm going to investigate a few things before bringing anything of the sort up to him. Hopefully anything I find will help the rest of the family recover, as well._

_Summer, 29th day of the sixth month_

_I explored the unknown parts of the mansion today. There wasn't much to be found. No strange noises, no strange objects...nothing. I am beginning to question my own sanity at this point. I will continue looking tomorrow. If I find nothing, then I am at a loss of what do to._

_Summer, 30th day of the sixth month_

_Another death has befallen our family. This time it is my father-in-law. I was in the courtyard, on my way back from praying in the chapel when I heard the commotion. I rushed upstairs, but my husband would not let me in the room. I am certain there is something going on in this house, I am just not sure what. It appears to have started on my arrival, but I don't know why. My husband and I have a meeting with the honorable Sages sometime in the next few days and we have to plan his father's funeral. In that time, I must get to the bottom of what is going on here. Even if I have nowhere to look and nothing to go on but noises._

_Summer, 5th day of the seventh month_

_I have not written in several days, but for good reason. I believe I have found the reason of our troubles, and it has nothing to do with any of my family, thank goodness. It was meeting with the Sages and listening to them that I got the information I'd been looking for. Tonight I will tell my husband of my findings and see if something can't be done to provide extra protection to out home until the culprit is captured. Maybe now my darling little sister and brother can rest peacefully at night. _

I dropped the book in my lap. "She didn't do it."

"Who? Reiner's wife?" I handed the journal to Link and waited while he read it. He sighed when he finished. "I don't know whether to be relieved or worried now. At least we know she's not evil."

"But if she isn't the problem, then who is the real cause of all this?" Midna peered over his shoulder at the journal.

"No one good." I said as Link handed me back the journal and I tucked it safely away. I had a feeling I'd be needing it again and I wasn't about to leave it here like I had the last one. We still needed to find the other half of the medallion before we left this area, though.

I search around the other side of the room, near a china cabinet. It reminded me of my mother's own cabinet back home, filled with delicate hand-painted tea cups and matching saucers. Except this one was made of wood instead of glass. The entire bottom shelf had polished silver utensils, trays, and pots for sugars and creams. I gently moved aside the tea cups on the higher shelves first and searched behind them, finding nothing but piles of dust. Searching behind the silver yielded the same results. There were small doors on the bottom of the shelves, but as far as I could tell, they were just empty. I reached in and felt around a bit, just to make sure.

"Ow!" I yanked my hand out when my finger caught on the wood. I quickly disposed of a splinter or two and pulled open the doors wider to let some light in. A circular pattern was drawn into the woodwork in the very back, but I couldn't tell what it was just yet. "Link, I think I've found something, but I can't tell what it is yet. I need a light!"

"Okay, give me a second." Link pulled out the lantern and lit it, handing it off to me.

I set it inside the cabinet and looked around inside again. The circular pattern was made up of several rings, just like the one we'd found on the book in the library. I pulled out the key again and placed the three pieces in all the slots, turning the dials as I'd seen Link do before. There was a click when they were all in place, and the back panel of the cabinet popped open, revealing the very thing we'd been looking for-the other half of the medallion.

I crawled back out, clutching it tightly. "Found it. Finally."

Midna took it from me. "Good. Now maybe we can get out of here and find what we came to find."

Oh, right. The mirror shard. I'd been so wrapped up in trying to figure out the history of this place that I'd nearly forgotten about that part. I moved to stand up, when I noticed Link was looking at me funny.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You're all covered in dust." He said, reaching down to try and brush some off for me.

"O-oh." I used my sleeve to clear away the dirt as best I could. I must've looked awful after rummaging around in all these dusty places for who knows how long. First thing I'm doing when we get back to town is take a long, hot bath so I can resemble a normal female again. Or a human being. I'd settle for that, too.

We left the sitting room and retraced our steps, stopping by the kitchen to drop off what we'd found inside the second chest that Yeta had sent us in search of. Yeto was furiously stirring the soup, stopping every few minutes to mumble something to himself and search the kitchen's many shelves. I grinned to myself, knowing exactly what it was that the giant creature was looking for. I slipped the Ordon goat cheese out of my pouch quietly.

"Here, Yeto. Link has something for you." I said, tossing the ring of cheese to him.

The Yeti stopped looking through the spices, inhaling the new scent. "Uh? CHEESE!" I covered my eyes with my hands and cringed as Yeto shoved him over and grabbed the cheese, dropping it in the soup.

I peered through my fingers, not bothering to disguise my laughter. "You said to carry it. You never said _I_ had to be the one to give it to him."

"Sorry. I couldn't resist." I helped him up off the floor.

"Little doll is right. That _was_ fun, uh uh!" Yeto's own laughed boomed. "Wanna try again? Could use some more spice."

"That's alright. I think I'll pass." Link said, dusting himself off. "I did have a question or two for you though, if that's all right."

The Yeti patted him on the back, nearly knocking him over again. "You helping Yeta by bringing things for soup. For you, little human, Yeto have lots of time! Ask away!"

"Did you know anything about the family that used to live here?"

"Hrmmm..." Yeto thought as he stirred the soup with his ladle almost the same size as Link. "Not really, uh uh. Zoras mention rumors about that stuff from time to time, uh. But not sure if any of it true or not. It sad thing. Husband and wife should not fight, uh. Husband should wait on wife and make her things like soup and fish. Like Yeto, only with more human ingredients!"

Human ingredients? Aw, man...I knew that soup had weird things in it. I wish I didn't like it so much.

He sighed. "Okay. Thanks anyway, Yeto. If you think of anything helpful, let me know."

"Of course! Come back for more soup if you get hungry, uh!"

Yeto was humming nonsensical tunes as we went back into Yeta's sitting room. She was looking more and more tired every time we saw her.

"Oh...it not there, uh?..." Yeta coughed. "I have one last place it might be, then."

"Actually..." Link took the two halves of the medallion we'd found out of his pouch and held it out for her to see. "Do you know if there's anything like this in the house anywhere? With this symbol and shape?"

"You in luck, uh." She took his map and pointed to the only room connected to this one that we hadn't been to yet. "It on the way to find the key. But not sure which part of the room I saw it, uh uh."

"That's all right. I'm sure we'll find it. Thank you." He tucked the map safely away.

Before Link could go into the next room, I stopped him. "Don't open the door just yet. There's something on the other side." There was another one of the ice giants on the other side of the door. I was worn out from the constant use of my Fire Rod, but I needed it again. Swords didn't work on this guy and I didn't want Link to turn into an ice statue.

When Midna popped her head out of his shadow and saw the weapon in my hand, she said, "You'd better not make one of those wimpy fireballs I saw you throwing around earlier."

I shot a glare at her. Okay, fine. If it's powerful she wants, then it's powerful she'll get. "Wait for a few seconds and then open the door for me, then."

"Whatever you say." She floated up and put her hand on the knob.

I blocked everything out and concentrated on only one thing: fire. Lots of it. I started to build up enough power, but thoughts of Alethea and Reiner kept popping up. Midna opened the door and I thew a rather sizable amount of fire in a confused ice monster's direction. The fire melted most of it's body, but there was still a part of it left. It began to reform itself.

"Uh-oh."

Link pulled something out from his pouch and before I could even blink, the rest of the monster shattered into a thousand tiny pieces of ice. He grinned and tossed what looked like a giant steel ball with spikes up and down in his hands. A chain was attached to it on the bottom. "There. Piece of cake."

"Where in the world did you find that?" I asked.

"I took it off the monster that was guarding that chest full of food." He replied. "It's pretty heavy, but I think it'll be useful."

I think he just wanted an excuse to break things. "Whatever you say."

Luckily for us, we the giant monster had been guarding the very thing we needed to look for. I knew there was a reason for that strange cage being there. Link placed the medallion in the slot on one side at the same time I turned the key on the other. The door embedded into the floor slid back to reveal a winding staircase that went down deep underneath the mansion. Link took out a bottle and poured the last of the oil in the lantern, lighting it.

"Stay close to me. I don't know what will be down there." He said. "With everything we've heard, it sounds like it's not pleasant."

I nodded. "Okay."

We went down the stairs slowly, both of us being extra sure to keep an eye on our surroundings. I still don't think the wife did anything wrong, but I could be totally off-base. Or there could be something else guarding the secret treasure. The stairway got wider and wider as we got closer to the bottom. Finally it stopped, just outside an open doorway. Inside was a large chamber, set with nothing but a stone pedestal in the center of it all. And resting on top of that was an intricate gold box with the royal family's seal on it.

Before Link could get any closer, though, a blinding white light flashed. When we were able to see again, a ghost had placed itself in-between him and the box. She was beautiful, with exotic-looking eyes that were so blue they were nearly purple. Her silky, curly brown hair cascaded down her back. She was short, but her frame was elegant and feminine, especially with the white lace dress she wore. It fluttered a bit as she hovered in place.

I felt as if I knew her from somewhere. "You're..."

"I am Alethea, wife to the master of this place and guardian of the secret treasure many have sought." Her voice resonated throughout the small room. "You have done well to make it here. Many in the past have failed to do so."

"Where is 'here', exactly?" Link asked.

"This chamber once held all of my family's most precious possessions. Now it holds the secret treasure I have been tasked with guarding." Aletha said. "Many men have come and tried to claim it for themselves, but it is a cursed item. Only those who are deemed worthy may touch it. All others will be punished severely."

"So that's where the stories came from. The mansion itself is not cursed at all." It was haunted though. There was enough proof of that right in front of me.

"You are correct. The few who did make it out alive passed along the tales of what they'd seen until it became what you know today." Alethea eyed the Master Sword strapped to Link's back. "You must be the one the Sages told us about. I have been waiting for you, hero chosen by the Goddesses. You seek a way to restore power to the sacred blade you carry, do you not?"

"That's right." He said.

She stepped aside. "Then you must take this item with you on your journey. If you truly are the hero, then you should be able to touch it without the curse affecting you."

I reluctantly stepped back a few inches towards the stairs as he moved forward towards the pedestal and the gold box. I had a feeling I shouldn't be too close. "Be careful..."

"I know." When he reached for the lid, something made him pause.

A glowing symbol appeared on the back of his hand. Is that...the Triforce?

The royal seal on the box vanished and the lid just popped open. Nestled inside was what looked like part of an ancient tablet. Link was able to pick it up with no problems, and I breathed a sigh of relief. But argh...why does everything have to be in pieces or parts? It makes everything so much more difficult.

There was a rustling noise from behind Alethea and I glanced over there. "Ah! I've seen you before!"

A small girl peered out cautiously from behind her. She was adorable, all wide-eyed and curious. Her soft brown hair was cut short to frame her face and it bobbed back and forth as she hid behind Alethea. "This is Nina. She is the one that has been watching you." She laid a delicate hand on the girl's head. "I apologize if she frightened you. She warned me that you had found the false room."

"So it was you that saved Amanda." He bowed a little, watching me from out of the corner of his eye as he continued, "You have my thanks."

"It seemed like she was very important to you and you to her. Relationships like that are precious. Make sure you don't let petty arguments or secrets get in the way of that."

"Are you talking about your husband?" I asked.

Alethea looked sad. "Yes. I let those things and more destroy us. I wish I had another chance, but I can't make time reverse."

"He's still here, too. Why don't you talk to him?"

There is no way that would be possible. He didn't believe me nor listen to me when we were alive. Why would he now?"

"I don't think your husband blames you." Link said. "He seemed too upset for that. I think he was just angry that he didn't know about it sooner. I'm sure he still loves you."

"Perhaps...at one time he might have. But it is too late for us now." She waved her hand gracefully and another door opened behind her, while the one we'd come through slammed shut. "There is a passageway behind this room that leads up to the chapel. I saw the key to the master bedroom being stored there by the Yetis."

It didn't seem like either of us were going to get her to try to talk to Reiner, and maybe that was for the best, I suppose. Link seemed to think that too and didn't say anything more except, "...Thank you, Lady Alethea."

Midna sighed with relief. "Finally, someone who knows where stuff is around here." She mumbled under her breath.

"Amanda?..." Alethea said as I as leaving. "That is...your name, correct?"

She seemed a little unsure of herself, so I stopped. "Yes. What is it?"

"How did you know I didn't do it?"

"Women's intuition." And your journal. I offered her a half smile and followed after Link, only pausing to add, "And...I was in that situation once, too. I know what it feels like to have someone look at you like that. To be put in that situation of knowing more than you should...or not knowing enough. There are people still angry with me over it." I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. "You're lucky. You still have a chance to make up with your husband. I can't see my friend. I wish I could."

"I..." She seemed at a loss for words.

"I don't know what you found before you died. I can't pretend to know what living in this house or being married to your husband was like. But doesn't it seem silly to waste your last chance and spend an eternity fighting over something that happened a long time ago? Especially because Link is right. He loves you." I could see it in her eyes, just like I had Reiner's. "You still love him, too."

I turned and continued walking up the staircase, letting the door slam shut behind me. Link was waiting for me halfway up, leaning casually against the wall.

I swallowed back a choked breath, keeping my voice as steady as possible. "...What?"

He walked down to me and pulled me close, whispering, "...I'm sorry."

It was an apology he didn't have to give. All that stuff that had happened between us was behind us now. As for the rest of it...we both knew-I knew-that going back to the village now was dangerous, especially because things had spiraled so out of control.

It was the first time I'd thought about Maya in a while. I know Hane had said to give her some time, but...I couldn't help but feel like we were wasting it. What if something happened to either one of us and we ended up never talking things out? I didn't want my friend and I to end up like Reiner and Alethea. But what could I do?

Link released me after giving me a moment to gather myself and we walked up the stairs towards the chapel. The sliding door opened easily and we came out on the side of the room, across from the door that lead outside. Red carpet lined the aisleway, and several dark benches with matching cushions were set on either side for prayers.

The woman had destroyed the beautiful ironwork on the windows and left it in pieces on the floor. She had also stolen the very thing we were looking for-the key to Yeta's room.

"You!" Midna snarled, going straight for the woman. "What do you think you're doing?"

She just laughed and jumped out of the way, landing on the back of one of the benches with ease. The woman could balance on it like she weighed nothing. "Looking for this?" She asked, holding up the master bedroom key.

"Give that back!" Midna tried to lunge for it, but the woman was too quick and jumped to one of the upper rafters.

"You missed your chance to negotiate back on the mountain. Now I've got my own key. I wonder what it goes to?..." She looked triumphant as she gazed down at Midna. "Too bad you won't be able to find out."

The woman leapt through a hole in the roof and out of sight. Seconds later, there was a crash from behind the outside door. Link ran to the door and tried to open it, but it confirmed what I'm sure we both already knew: she'd blocked the door.

"Amanda, do you still have that hookshot you found in the Arbiter's Grounds?" Link asked.

"Yeah, it's right here." I pulled it out of my pouch. It felt heavier than I remembered. "Why?"

"Follow me!"

He pulled out his clawshot and aimed for a piece of the broken roof. It managed to latch on and he propelled himself up there. I had to take a bit of a different approach, since mine had a point on the end instead of a claw. I aimed a little higher than he had and let the chain wrap itself securely around a piece of rafter close to the hole. I held on tight as I sprung up from the floor towards the roof. Link helped me up and out of the chapel.

We could see the whole courtyard from there, but the woman was nowhere to be found. In the courtyard or anywhere else.

"Damn it..." Midna hissed. "Where'd she go?"

"The bedroom is above you, so I'd check there, first." Reiner appeared next to us in the roof. "It appears you managed to find what you were looking for."

Oh here we go. "Was he not supposed to?"

"Like I said before, no one has come back from that chamber alive."

This time, Link spoke up before I could. "That had nothing to do with your wife. It was-"

"I honestly don't care who it was at this point. You have the tablet, so I've done my job."

Uh-oh. Even if he's a ghost, I think Reiner better watch himself. Link would probably find a way to do something to him. "Of all the close-minded, selfish things to-"

"It's all right. Both of you." Alethea appeared next to me. "I'll handle this."

I felt a brush of wind and peered behind me. Nina clung to Link's leg gently, peering up at me silently. I wonder if she followed Alethea wherever she went? She sure seemed attached to her.

"How dare you show yourself to me." Reiner sneered at her. "I thought I told you to leave this place."

"I had a duty to perform, like you. I could not."

"You were stripped of that duty when you killed my family!"

"I would never do such a thing!" Alethea was beginning to lose her temper. "I may not have been able to prove it to you back then, but I swear to you I'm going to prove it to you now!" She had the look of a determined woman as she turned and glided quickly up the staircase and out of sight.

"No! Alethea, wait!" I was furious at Reiner. If I could slap him, I would. But he was a ghost, so that wasn't going to happen. "Link, we have to stop her! That shard could-"

Link placed his hands on my shoulders to calm me down. "I know. Come on." He helped me down from the roof and was right beside me, racing up the staircase toward Yeta's bedroom.

Midna flew ahead to the door, obviously worried for the shard. Me, I was worried about something completely different.

The doors were wide open when we reached the top of the staircase. Alethea stood (hovered there?) frozen on the spot, staring in horror at her reflection in the mirror. The woman, who was standing right behind it, smirked when she saw us.

"You're too late."

I hate it when I'm right.

* * *

"Master, the Batteries in your Wii Remote are nearly depleted."

-throws remote at TV- I hate you, Fi.


	44. Not Good Enough

**Author's Note:** x_X *dead* Chapter is done. Goodnight. Zzzzz...

**Reviews:**

bellahelen101: Me, too. I think Midna is my favorite partner for Link next to Tatl. I think I'm one of the few that enjoyed Majora's Mask. I liked the darker storyline it had.

Diana Lily and Isabella: Read on, then!

HenryTheWise: Oh, she will. She will.

ChocolateMilkLOL: Thanks! :D I hope you'll enjoy what happens next!

Tetraforce: I tried to PM you back, but you have them shut off. I'm used to criticism, so don't worry. I wasn't upset or anything. ;D

Foundations of Stone: Don't worry about it. And I'm easily scared, too. I can't watch ghost movies hardly at all. Thrillers I can handle (most of the time). Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you think my original plots are going well. I always worry about those the most. x_X

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Four: Not Good Enough**

The woman seemed pleased at the horrified look on my face. She moved closer to the mirror, tracing the edge of it almost lovingly with a long finger.

"Such a shame..." She said, glancing at Alethea, who was still frozen at the sight of her own reflection. "If you had just done as I asked in the first place, maybe it wouldn't have come to this."

Link took a few steps forward to place himself between her and me. "Just what are you planning on doing with that?"

Her eyes reflected a cold, humorless smile. "Oh, don't worry, hero. I don't plan on taking the mirror shard from you. Unless you choose not to cooperate. I want something else you have in your possession."

She couldn't mean...?

"You mean this?" Link took out the tablet piece we'd found Alethea guarding down below the mansion.

"Very good. Now just hand it over and the lady of this place will not be harmed." The woman held a hand out for it, as if she expected him to hand it over.

He hesitated, seemingly weighing his options. I watched Alethea, who seemed to be in a trance now. There wasn't really a good outcome that I could see here. Either way, we were going to possibly lose something. The question was, which was a bigger loss?

The young wife who wandered these halls, guarding this place and waiting for a second chance?

Or the Master Sword, which could defeat the evil plaguing the land and bring peace to the people who were alive and still had a chance?

Midna's harsh words came rushing back to me in the worst possible way. This was one time I wouldn't be able to convince him-or myself-that picking one person over the country was a good idea.

"Link..." I whispered. "Don't give it to her. The Master Sword is the only chance you have. You _need _it."

"I know..." He said. "I just wish things didn't have to be this way. I know you don't want me to hurt her." He put the tablet piece back in his satchel and pulled out his sword. "If you think you're getting your hands this, you've got another thing coming."

The woman sighed. "You disappoint me, hero." She held a hand up to the mirror and flicked it with a finger.

Alethea screamed and held her head like she was in pain. She doubled over, her entire ghostly body shaking and trembling. Her arms contorted and became longer, her body growing and tripling in size. Alethea became so large that she broke through the roof, bringing down shards of glass and pieces.

Link grabbed me and threw his shield up, using it to block as much as of the debris as he could. He grimaced as a few of the larger pieces hit the shield with more force than he was probably expecting.

When he lowered his shield, Alethea's face has twisted into that of a monsters', her long hair brittle and black, with long fangs that resembled those spikes back in that false room. She climbed outside, peering in through the hole.

She reached one of her long arms down into the bedroom from her perch on the roof. We both jumped in separate directions to avoid her hand smashing us. The fingers touched the floor and the entire room filled with ice, effectively blocking our exit.

Link slowly pulled himself up, carefully balancing on the slippery surface. "Damn it.."

I sat back on my heels and pulled out my Fire Rod. "Hold on a sec...Don't move." I placed the tip of the rod directly on the ice and concentrated.

The ice on the floor began to melt and turn into steam, but the ice on the walls remained. Alethea let out a shriek and reached back down into the room, ice spreading from whatever she touched.

Link tried to jump out of the way, but he made a misstep and part of his boot got frozen to the ground, holding him to that spot.

I used the rod to melt the small patch around his boot, but Alethea immediately reached her hand down and tried to grab him, sending him careening into the wall and refreezing the patch of ice I'd just melted.

Midna, who had jumped into Link's shadow when Alethea started attacking, popped back out. "That small Fire Rod isn't going to cut it." She said. "That thing is just going to keep creating ice to replace the stuff you melt."

Tell me something I didn't know. I had to jump out of the way again to keep it from freezing my foot to the floor as it had his.

"Guh!" I crashed into the wall and nearly toppled to the ground.

"Amanda!" He called to me from across the room. "Use your Ice Rod instead!"

My Ice Rod? How did that make any-Oh, I see.

Alethea was trashing around, creating patches of ice that were easily climbable. If I could get her to sit still, Link would have a chance to attack. My limited amount of magic energy lent to me by the princess drained fast, but I had enough energy for a few shots. Now all I had to do was not miss.

The large hand crashed down into the room and I yanked my other rod out, shooting directly at the fingers. It covered enough of them to keep the hand in place, and Link darted up onto a couple of the ice platforms, climbing as high as he could. He raised the Master Sword and jumped, slashing his way down the arm.

Alethea shrieked, thrashing all over the place, knocking down more of the roof. I had to run to avoid being crushed, but it wasn't easy. The floor was slipperier than ever. A large chunk of stone and wood landed in front of me, causing me to skid to a stop before I got crushed. Another stone landed behind me, and I dashed forward.

"Look out!"

Midna shot over towards me and knocked me over right as another few pieces of wood fell where I stood, trapping me in a corner.

"Amanda! Midna!" I could hear Link's voice calling out over all the destruction.

"We're fine!" She answered for the both of us. "Just take care of that thing! I'm sick of all this ice!"

I could see a large beam that had fallen in from the roof that now reached the ground. Link jumped on it and used it to climb up to Alethea's level. She tried to snatch him out of the air with her other hand as he jumped out of the way, but he leapt onto that arm and continued to climb upwards.

My view of the roof was partly obscured by the debris that surrounded me, but I could still see Alethea. She was thrashing around, trying to grab at Link. I heard the Master Sword slice through flesh and I cringed. It wasn't a pleasant sound. There was another large slice and then silence.

_BOOM! _

Something exploded and the rest of the roof began to collapse. I ducked down in a corner with Midna and covered my head as it all began to come crashing down. I waited for it to bury us underneath it.

"Amanda! Grab my hand!"

I peered up and saw Link above me. Man, he was quicker than I realized. I took his hand and he helped me out of there, picking me up and reaching for his clawshot. He shot it with near perfect accuracy towards a patch of wood that remained. It managed to latch on and he pulled us up to the roof as a torrent of stone, glass, and wood was raining down.

"You all right?" He asked, setting me on my feet.

"Yeah..."

A dark blur rushed past me and slammed into Link, sending him sliding down towards the ground. He grabbed for the edge of what was left of the roof, but he missed when a foot tried to smash his hand.

"Link!" I cried as he tumbled over the edge.

The woman looked over her shoulder at me and smirked before jumping down to where he'd fallen.

Midna stretched out her hair hand and grabbed me before I could follow. "You'll fall, too! Let me help you down!" She tighened her grip on me and picked me up, setting me down on the pathway below.

We ran down the pathway as fast as we could towards the courtyard. By the time we burst through the hallway door, Link had picked himself up and and was backing the woman into a corner all the way across the courtyard. He was watching her closely, limping a little as he moved towards her. There was a gleam in her eye that I didn't like.

I touched my hyperwing. There was no way that I'd reach them in time if she did try something. I could hear my heart beating as I waited for one of them to move. The woman made her move, pulling out a daggar. I shot at her, nearly missing my target. The shot landed on the hand with the daggar in it, leaving a red streak.

Her eyes flashed. "You pest!"

When she turned to come at me instead, Link took the chance to strike her. The woman fell to one knee in pain.

"You..." She gritted her teeth. "Don't you think this is over."

It was amazing and kind of unbelievable how she could just get up like nothing had happened and leap as high as she did. But that was exactly what happened. Link fell over face first into the snow, sword still in his hand.

"Link!" I dashed over to where he lay and pulled him up.

"I'm fine..." He mumbled.

Part of me was relieved that he was speaking coherent sentances, but I also could tell that he was in a lot of pain. I slung his arm around my shoulder and pulled him up to a semi-standing position.

"Come on. We have to get you inside where it's warm." I said. "Midna, can you get his sword?"

She floated over and picked it up, following close behind us. The trudge across the courtyard was slow. When we finally got to the door and I reached for the doorknob, it opened on it's own.

Yeta was standing on the other side. "Uh! You come inside, uh uh! Husband heating up soup!"

"Yeta, he's badly hurt. Is there a place he can lie down?"

She hobbled over and turned the couch upright with a kick of her foot. "Sit here, uh. Yeta go get blanket to keep you warm. You not have fur like me, uh."

I set Link down on the couch. He was having a hard time keeping himself upright. Yeta came back with a heavy blanket and draped it over him.

Yeto came in with a tray of soup. "You eat, uh! It best soup yet! Make you feel better, little human!"

He opened his mouth to say something, but he just doubled over in pain instead.

"Drink the soup before you try anything." Midna said. "Or I'll make you."

I gave him a look when he glanced in my direction that said I would do the same thing. I sighed. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks he's invincable. Link drank it down in a few gulps and let out a breath. Ouch. Wasn't that hot soup?

"How are you feeling?..." I asked after a few moments.

"...Better." He said. "Although I don't want to be in any high places for a while."

I didn't blame him. "What happened to the mirror shard?"

"Oh, that?" Midna reached into some invisible pocket that she must've had and pulled out the very thing we'd been searching for. "I've got it. Don't worry. That witch won't be able to get ahold of it when I'm carrying it."

Yeta sat down on the couch opposite us. "Yeta have to thank you, uh. Feeling much better now."

"Now that the mirror shard is gone, you shouldn't get sick like that anymore." I said.

Midna stared at it in her hand before putting it away. "I had no idea the mirror could do such a thing, though...I'm glad that's over with."

"Ah! Speaking of mirrors, where's Alethea?" I didn't see her anywhere afterwords. Link didn't answer me. When I glanced up, he wasn't even looking at me. "Oh..."

"I'm sorry, Amanda. There just wasn't any way to save her."

I shook my head. "No, I understand. You didn't have any other choice."

But...it still hurt. She hadn't even got a chance to talk to her husband...I pulled out her journal and set it on the table in front of me. There was no need to keep it anymore.

Midna watched me. "Do you two want to leave?"

"Yeah..." Link said. "Amanda? Are you ready to go?"

I nodded and let him pull me into the portal with them. The ribbon journal was the last thing I saw before the mansion vanished into the light.

* * *

We let Midna drop us just outside of Castle Town. It was late and we just decided to head back to Livius' house for the night.

Hane met us halfway on the back road as he was coming out of the bar. "You're back. Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes. Although..."

I couldn't hear what he said after that, though I wasn't really paying attention. All I could think about was Alethea and Reiner. I was just depressing myself, but I couldn't help but fee if I'd been a little faster in putting things together, that maybe this wouldn't have happened.

"Amanda?"

"Huh?" I must've missed an entire converation, because they were both looking at me expectantly. "What is it?"

"I was saying you two can stay at my house while you're going back and forth." Hane said. "I have more space than Livius and Siena and two guest rooms."

"Oh, sure. Thanks, Hane." I would be more comfortable, too, because I wouldn't have to be around Mr. Charming all the time.

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that. My house is just down the street from the twins. I already moved everything you two had over there."

His house was indeed bigger, but not by too much. It also seemed a little more homey than the twin's house. Maya must've been here a few times. The little touches like the rugs and flowers seemed like her.

"I went ahead and bought some pastries for tomorrow. The cafe always sells them once a week and they're really good."

"Sounds good." I climbed the stairs, without even bothering to look at them.

The room closest to the stairs was mine. My sachel and clothes we set neatly on the bed. I shoved them aside and flopped over.

"Amanda?" Link was at the door and he pushed it open slightly. "Are you okay?"

I grabbed my pillow and used it to prop my chin up. "I'll be fine."

He sighed. "You don't seem like it."

"I just...feel a bit useless, is all."

"Amanda..."

"How exactly am I supposed to help you if I can't even help someone who's already dead?" I should've worked faster. I should've...I don't know. I should've known something more that could've helped.

"That wasn't your fault. Those two made their choices long ago. How could you have known?"

"I...don't know." I glanced at the halberd that was resting against the wall. "I don't even know how to use this thing. How lame is that?" I touched it with my boot and it slid sideways a little bit. I sighed. "Sorry. I'll get over it."

"Why don't you go take a hot bath?" He offered. "It might make you feel better."

"Thanks. I think I'll do that." I grabbed a towel from the open cabnet I passed in the hallway. Link was right. Maybe after a bath and a good night's sleep, this won't feel like a big deal.

Except it did. And unless I did something about it, I would continue to be in a slump.

I'll figure it out. Maybe.

* * *

When I came downstairs the next morning, the kitchen was empty. No sign of Link or Hane. But the cute little fruit pastries Hane had bought from the cafe for breakfast were on a serving plate. A few of them were missing, plus there were dishes in the sink, so they must've already eaten. I grabbed one of the pastries and sat down at the table to eat.

It was a typical pastry you'd see anywhere, but it had a strange hint of spice in the crust I'd never tasted before. The filling tasted like pears, apples, and something citrus all in one. With the little bit of glaze on top of all that...

It was heaven.

The front door burst open and Hane strode through it. "Oh, good. You're awake." He said cheerfully.

"Yep. Just. Where have you be-hey!" I nearly dropped my breakfast when he pulled me out of the chair I was sitting in.

"Go upstairs and get dressed." He was half-shoving me up the stairs.

"Why?"

"You'll see."

I turned on my heel on the steps. "Can I at least finish my breakfast first?" Hane grabbed the pastry from the plate and stuck it in my mouth. I took a bite out of it and grinned. "Thanks."

"Come to the courtyard behind the weapons shop when you're done!" He called as I went upstairs.

I heard the front door close again when I entered the bedroom. I had no idea what was going on, but I'd learned not to ask and just go along with it. It was easier that way. I dressed quickly between bites of my pastry, throwing on my black pants, white tunic (it was pretty warm outside), and some flat shoes. Just a small brush through my hair and a quick braiding, and I was good to go.

The market was alive with people and music filled the summertime air. It must've been the small band of musicians I always saw sitting along the side of the street, strumming away on their instruments. The tune was happy and upbeat, putting me in a good mood.

When I entered the weapons shop, the front was empty. "Hello?" I called.

"Back here!" I heard Hane's voice come from behind the workshop.

I made my way through the piles of weapons, towards the workshop's open courtyard. The door was wide open, letting in a warm breeze. Two people were in the ring, kicking up dust as they met each other's swords blow for blow. I quickly recognized them as Link and Ashei.

"What's going on here?" I asked, folding my arms and watching the fight play out. Both were equally impressive, but Link was slightly better than Ashei was. She was struggling to keep him back amidst a flurry of strikes. Finally he saw an opening and knocked the sword out of her hand, sending it sliding across the arena.

"Well, well, well." Ashei was breathing hard. "I'm impressed. The sword is what I'm best at. Not many have beaten me."

"You put up a good fight." Link replied, helping her up off the ground. "I almost didn't."

"Ah, Amanda. Good. You're here."

"Yeah, but I'm still not sure exactly why."

"You wanted to learn to use your halberd better, right?"

"Well, yeah, but..." I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon.

"He came and brought me back to town late last night. I was in the middle of studying the Yetis when he asked for my help."

...That must've taken all night long. The mountain wasn't exactly a small distance away. And Midna didn't like to show herself to many people, so warping was out of the question.

"Ashei is one of the few I know who is excellent with both a sword and most pole arms." Hane said. "She's agreed to teach you, if you're willing."

I didn't even have to think about it. "I'd be grateful for anything you could teach me, Ashei."

She nodded. "We'll start immediately. You two. Get out."

"Ouch. Talk about blunt." The knight grimaced.

"She doesn't need any outside distractions, yeah? Now go."

"Hey, Link?" He paused as he passed me. I smiled a little. "...Thanks."

After watching me for a second, he yawned and stretched. "I think I'm going to take a nap. See you later."

Hane followed after him, waving a hand as he went. "Don't beat her up too bad, Ashei. I'd like to be able to recognize her later!" I knew he was teasing, but still...ouch. Guess I'd just have to do better than he thinks I could.

Ashei set down her sword on one of the benches lining the wall and grabbed what looked like a smaller version of my halberd, minus the funny lettering and designs. She tossed it to me and grabbed one for herself.

"Have you had any previous training before?" She asked.

I shook my head. "A few lessons from Rusl, but that's about the extent of my experience."

"We'll start from the basics, then." Ashei took her weapon firmly in her hands. "Pay attention, then, yeah? We don't have time to repeat much."

She took me through some of the things that Rusl had already taught me, such as the position of my hands and how to hit targets effectively. I remembered most of what I'd learned previously, which pleased her (because it meant we didn't have to spend too long on it). I was thankful she set up wood targets instead of the pumpkin ones I'd practiced on in the village. It was less messy.

"You have a good memory." She said, kicking away some of the pieces of the target I'd just broken. "Perhaps this next part will be easy for you, then."

"Oh, yeah?" I leaned on my weapon.

Ashei twirled her weapon and stood straight. "Tell me. How do you use your halberd?"

I thought for a moment. "I mostly use it to slice at monsters. I don't know what else to use it for."

"As I thought. It's common to think that it would be the most effective way, but you have to remember that it's not a sword, yeah? You have other parts of it you can utilize in different situations." She pointed her weapon at me. "Say an opponent is coming straight at you. You can use the tip to push the weapon aside and then strike with the axe."

Ashei gripped the pole arm and gave it a quick swipe and launched it downwards towards me to prove her point. I flinched as the blade stopped near my head.

She straightened. "Now you try it."

I wasn't ready for her to come at me as fast as she did, and I ended up on the ground, with the tip pointed towards me.

"You must be quicker. You can't hesitate when you see an enemy coming towards you." Ugh. Didn't Rusl tell me something along those lines? I guess I hadn't gotten as good as I thought.

I picked myself up and reached for my weapon. She launched herself at me again and I barely got my pole arm up in time to knock hers aside. It was sloppy, but I completed the maneuver.

"Good enough for the moment." Ashei said. "Now do the same thing, but spin your weapon instead."

I was ready for her this time, spinning my halberd in a circle the moment I saw her feet move. The resulting blow sent her own weapon upwards and out of the way, leaving her open for a strike to the upper part of her body.

"Good. If you come up short with your reach, don't panic. Use it to your advantage and strike the head instead."

We went on like that for a while, with her teaching me similar techniques for middle and lower strikes (which, again, ended up with me on the ground about fifty percent of the time). The sun had already passed overhead and it was late afternoon when she finally allowed me to take a break.

Ashei went inside for a few minutes and came back out with water for both of us, handing a glass to me before sitting down on one of the benches herself.

"I'm sorry if I'm being too tough on you." She said. "I've never met another woman willing to fight as I have. I suppose I haven't realized you aren't like the men I've practiced with before."

I shook my head. "No, I'm glad. I need to learn this. I don't want to be a burden to anyone."

"I don't think you ever were. The way those two men look at you with absolute trust is something I don't get to see very often. They wouldn't feel that way if you were a burden, yeah?"

I hadn't thought of it that way. That made me feel a little better. "So where's Raynard today? I figured he'd be watching or something. This _is_ his shop, isn't it?"

I saw the corners of her mouth lift for a brief second. "Oh, he's around. I gave him some...work to do."

...Huh? Was I missing something? Knowing how much later I'd slept in than the rest of them, the answer was yes, probably. Now I wished I'd been here this morning to find out exactly was this 'work' was. I need to start waking up earlier. I miss all the good stuff.

Ashei stood and stretched. "Are you ready to continue? We only have a few more hours until nightfall."

"Yeah." I left my water glass on the bench. "Let's go."

For the next couple hours, we worked on defense. This was my least favorite part of the lesson, because Ashei didn't hesitate to let her weapon hit me if I didn't guard correctly. When it finally became dark out, I had bruises in places I didn't even want to think about.

"We'll stop for now." Ashei said, straightening.

"Thank goodness." I muttered. I was more than ready for one of those hot baths I'd been imagining all day. Soaking in that water would feel _so_ good after the afternoon I'd had.

I had come to appreciate what hot water could do for a sore body in the time I'd been here. Healing properties or no, it worked wonders.

I handed my practice weapon to Ashei and thanked her for teaching me. She just nodded and offered to teach me again, should I have the desire to practice. According to her, she would be in town for a while, so the next time I have some free time it might be a good idea.

Raynard's snores drifted down the staircase near the workshop door. I tried to keep myself from snickering as I walked past it. He was obviously worn out. Or he'd been to Telma's bar. I could've sworn I saw someone sneaking out around dinnertime. Maybe it's just my imagination.

Most people in town had returned to their homes when I finally strolled out of the shop. I imagine there were a good handful at the bar, as usual, but the majority of them were either asleep or moving about inside.

Hane's house was quiet when I entered. He must've still been out doing...whatever it was that needed doing. Link was probably still asleep upstairs in the other guest room. I still can't believe he'd gone right back out and retrieved Ashei last night. It was really thoughtful and sweet of him.

I climbed the stairs and dropped my shoes by the bed, flopping down on top of it. The soft quilt was cool and comfortable. Almost enough so to just fall asleep without my bath, but pain reared it's ugly head and reminded me of how sore I was when I bothered to move. I sighed, reaching over to grab my bed clothes before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and heading down the hall to the bathroom.

As I passed Link's room, I heard noises from inside. I paused, unsure if I should say anything or not. I didn't want to wake him if he was indeed still sleeping.

I heard what I thought was a moan and decided to knock on the door. "Link? Are you okay?" I waited a minute before knocking again. "Can I bring you something?"

There was a loud noise and I backed away from the door. I saw light filter out from under the crack. What the...? I tried opening the door, but it was locked.

The front door opened downstairs and I ran to the top of the staircase. "Hane!"

"Amanda." He seemed to be in a good mood and pleased to see I was in one piece "How was pract-whoa!"

I yanked his arm, much like he had done to me this morning. "You need to come upstairs with me. I can't get the door to Link's room open."

"Are you sure you should be waking him up? He was up all night."

"There's something wrong, Hane! I heard some noises in there and then there was this light!" I was panicking, I knew, but something didn't feel right.

"All right, all right. Calm down." Hane knocked on the door. "Link? You in there?" When he got no response, he knocked again. "Link?" He tested the doorknob, but like when I tried it, it was locked. "Stand back, Amanda. I'm going to force this door open."

I stepped back a few feet and he rammed his shoulder into the door. It didn't really budge, so he rammed it again, and a third time, using more and more strength each time. On the fourth try, the door nearly broke off it's hinges as it flew open.

Link's room was dark, but I could clearly see where he'd been. There was a indentation in the bed were he'd been sleeping, clearly very recent.

But Link himself was gone.


	45. Quick Update

Hey guys!

Just a quick update for you. I have not abandoned this story, nor do I plan to. However, I am busier than ever, so updating chapter by chapter just is not possible. I am working hard to finish the story in one go and add any sidestories I had planned. The sequel is half-finished (yes, I said sequel :P ) and it's quite a bit darker than the first story, so you'll have to read that at your own risk. Everything will be posted at once when it's completed, so plan to do a lot of reading!

Thank you all for you support and patience. See you soon!

~Marynna


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